JUUL is facing an uncertain future as more people become worried about the effects of vaping. The manufacturer of JUUL devices, JUUL Labs, is seeing its market shares around the world diminish. Once a leader in the vaping industry, today the company faces multiple lawsuits.
Exiting South Korea
JUUL Labs has announced that it would be exiting South Korea after only one year in the country. The vaping device manufacturer failed to gain ground in the market after government health warnings were issued. It had attempted to restructure its business by cutting costs and making alterations to the products.
The government in South Korea had issued an advisement to stop vaping because of health concerns related to the product. Many stores stopped selling flavored e-cigarettes, including those made by JUUL Labs.
The company had created a portfolio in May of 2019 just for South Korea, but it hadn’t performed up to expectations. The focus was on adult smokers who wanted to move away from tobacco products, according to the company.
Schools and Cities Fight JUUL
In the US, many agencies are still fighting JUUL because of the impact the products have had on teens and others who weren’t smokers. Orange County School Board in Florida is the latest in a group of schools to plan to sue the company. They join schools in Palm Beach, Seminole and Brevard counties.
Each district is filing a separate lawsuit, along with school districts in New York, Washington and other states. However, it is expected that many of these early cases will be consolidated into one.
Complaints made by the Orange school board and other districts include the concern about the health risks from vaping as well as the issues with discipline on school grounds. JUUL cartridges look similar to USB flash drives, making them hard to identify and prevent vaping.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call the current trend of vaping a public health epidemic. The CDC claims that these products have removed the progress that had been made to stop underage smoking.
The Orange County school board says that e-cigarettes account for most of the disciplinary issues related to smoking. The percentage of students caught vaping over traditional cigarettes had increased dramatically from the 2015-16 school year to the 2018-19 year.
Another school district, this one in Wyoming, also provides some shocking statistics. According to the Natrona County School District, around 60 percent of students who are in high school are vaping on a regular basis.
The school board voted to sue the company, one of the latest in a growing trend as school districts deal with severe disciplinary issues and health concerns. Even with educational information, students are still experimenting with e-cigarettes and vaping devices.
More school districts are expected to be added to the growing list as JUUL’s unpopularity continues to grow. The manufacturer has lost sales and has cut millions from valuation because of the negative impact the publicity and lawsuits have had on the company.
EN
ES