State Sues E-cigarette Maker Over Youth Marketing

CHICAGO – Illinois has become the latest state to sue the country’s biggest e-cigarette maker, alleging in a lawsuit filed Thursday that Juul Labs Inc. used deceptive marketing practices to entice minors and misrepresented the amount of nicotine in its products. State Attorney General Kwame Raoul said the company designed its products to lure teens, making them sleek and easy to conceal, offering flavors like fruit medley and relying on celebrities and social media influencers. “This lawsuit is one part of what must be a multifaceted approach to addressing epidemic levels of e-cigarette use,” Raoul said at a Chicago news conference, adding his office also would consider policy changes and enforcement. Multiple states, including New York, Minnesota and California, have filed similar lawsuits.