Juul Sued By NC Attorney General And Puff Bar Investigated

CHARLOTTE, NC — Juul e-cigarettes can resemble USB drives and became popular for their size and portability, a hit among younger users in particular.

Now, the North Carolina Attorney General's office is announcing a lawsuit against the manufacturer for what AG Josh Stein says is their role in addicting young people to e-cigarettes.

“We made major progress in protecting young people from e-cigarette addiction when we secured a court order dramatically changing the way Juul does business and recovering $40 million to help kids conquer their nicotine addiction," said Stein in a statement.

But that was only a drop in the bucket, per Stein. The lawsuit names James Monsees and Adam Bowen, Juul co-founders specifically.

"Many of the billions Juul made from addicting kids to nicotine are now in the personal accounts of its founders and early investors. The people behind this company must be held accountable and pay to clean up the mess they made," continued Stein.

One example Stein gives is a different company called Puff Bar. The state is also launching an investigation into Puff Bar, which Stein says markets its flavored e-cigarettes to young people.

His investigation will also include 15 vape retail stores, three distributors and an online seller.

A copy of the civil investigative demands to Puff Bar is available here. A copy of the complaint against Juul’s founders is available here.