School districts must use Juul settlement money wisely
School districts in Butler County are beginning to receive money as part of a settlement from a federal class-action lawsuit with electronic cigarette maker Juul Labs.
On Monday, the Seneca Valley Board of Education announced it would be receiving $85,000. Last week, the Moniteau School District announced it is expecting a little more than $21,000.
At least four other school districts in the county also will receive money from the settlement.
Parents, school administrators and politicians largely blamed Juul for a surge in vaping among teens. Amid the backlash of lawsuits and government sanctions, Juul dropped all U.S. advertising and discontinued most of its flavors in 2019.
The e-cigarette maker faced more than 8,000 lawsuits suits brought by individuals and families, school districts and municipal governments. The suits argued that Juul used marketing campaigns to target children.
Juul rocketed to the top of the U.S. vaping market five years ago on the popularity of flavors such as mango, mint and creme brulee. The startup's rise was fueled by use among teens, some of whom became hooked on Juul’s high-nicotine pods. Nicotine is addictive and can harm brain development.
According to the manufacturer, a single Juul pod contains as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes. Approximately two-thirds of Juul users age 15 to 24 do not know that Juul always contains nicotine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey stated roughly 3.6 million U.S. middle and high school students were found to use electronic cigarettes. And a 2016 study found that four out of five — or 20.5 million — middle and high school students were exposed to e-cigarette advertising. Young people who use e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke cigarettes in the future., according to the CDC.
When the local suit was filed, attorney Tom King told the Eagle that about 50% of area students will have used a vaping product by the time they reach 12th grade and that even some elementary school students use the products.
The parent of a 15-year-old student in the Seneca Valley district told the school board Monday that her son is addicted to nicotine and vapes in the bathroom at his school.
She said his appetite, digestion and grades have been affected by his addiction to nicotine. She also lamented that students who are addicted to nicotine are inside the school for 6.5 hours each day without help for their addiction.
She said alcoholics have sponsors and other resources to get them through the day without alcohol, but teenagers addicted to nicotine have no such support.
Seneca Valley superintendent Tracy Vitale said money from the settlement will go toward increased vaping education for students and parents and the purchase of upgraded vape detectors and cameras.
The Butler County districts receiving money from the settlement must make certain it is used to address vaping issues in their districts. That includes THC vapes and edibles. We need to curb this behavior now before it leads to a lifetime of smoking and the health problems associated with it.
— JGG
