By India Edwards HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) — New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a major lawsuit yesterday, accusing 13 e-cigarette companies of illegally selling flavored vapes and targeting young kids through deceptive marketing.<\/p>\n
The 192-page complaint<\/a> claims the companies — Puff Bar, Evo Brands, PVG2, Demand Vape, Magellan, Happy Distro, Midwest Goods, Pod Juice, Safa Goods, Mi-One, Myl\u00e9, MVH I and Price Point — violated New York’s ban on flavored vapes, which studies show are preferred by young users, The Washington Post<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n \u201cThe vaping industry is taking a page out of Big Tobacco\u2019s playbook: they\u2019re making nicotine seem cool, getting kids hooked, and creating a massive public health crisis in the process,\u201d James said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cFor too long, these companies have disregarded our laws in order to profit off of our young people,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n The lawsuit seeks hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties and restitution for the companies\u2019 public health impact. This includes fines for violating federal and state laws, recovery of revenue from illegal vape sales and the creation of a fund to address the youth vaping crisis in New York.<\/p>\n The attorney general\u2019s office describes these penalties as a \u201cconservative estimate,\u201d given the widespread impact of youth vaping<\/a>.<\/p>\n The lawsuit claims companies marketed flavors like \u201cStrawberry Donut\u201d and \u201cTropical Rainbow Blast\u201d using bright packaging and social media influencers to appeal to teens.<\/p>\n One example cited was a Puff Bar ad during COVID-19 lockdowns, promoting vapes as \u201cthe perfect escape from back-to-back zoom calls [and] parental texts,” The Post<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n The complaint also alleges that companies have used illegal shipping methods to supply retailers and that many retailers are concentrated around public middle and high schools.<\/p>\n The Vapor Technology Association, a trade group, dismissed the lawsuit\u2019s claims as \u201cfalse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe facts are that since President Donald Trump raised the age to buy all tobacco products in 2019, youth vaping has dropped to the lowest level in over a decade,\u201d Tony Abboud<\/a>, the association’s executive director, said.<\/p>\n “This suit is the latest example of why President Trump needs to take bold and decisive action to end the government law-fare against the flavored vaping industry,\u201d Abboud added.<\/p>\n Despite the decline, e-cigarettes remain the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. middle and high school students, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> (CDC).<\/p>\n In 2024, 1.6 million students (6%) reported e-cigarette use. What’s more, 87.6% of those used flavored e-cigarettes.<\/p>\n But, a federal survey released last fall found youth e-cigarette use has decreased nearly 70% since its peak in 2019.<\/p>\n Anti-tobacco advocates warn that nicotine exposure harms developing brains and can lead to addiction, often alongside traditional cigarette use.<\/p>\n \u201cAt every turn, each Defendant\u2019s New York-touching commercial conduct in the Flavored E-Cigarette industry undercuts New York\u2019s efforts and law — which must be now enforced to protect the public,\u201d the lawsuit says.<\/p>\n \u201cBy first dodging all of New York\u2019s regulatory safeguards, then making these products as cheap as possible and as abundantly available as possible in our communities, each Defendant cashes in without regard to the lasting harm they cause,\u201d the complaint says.<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n Johns Hopkins Medicine has more on the dangers of vaping<\/a>.<\/p>\n SOURCES: The Washington Post<\/em>, media report, Feb. 20, 2025; Office of the New York State Attorney General, news release, Feb. 20, 2025; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Oct. 17, 2024<\/p>\n