New York Attorney General Letitia James earmarked more than $16 million for Long Island to combat what she calls a “youth vaping epidemic.” The money comes from a multi-state settlement with the e-cigarette maker JUUL.
New York was awarded more than $112 million. It will be used for public education campaigns, school-based anti-vaping programs and more across the state.
Funding slated for Long Island will go to both Nassau and Suffolk counties and their BOCES centers.
James sued JUUL back in 2019 for its deceptive marketing towards young people. That year, the state saw its first vaping-related death — a 17-year-old from the Bronx.
“Children as young as middle school vaping and inhaling nicotine because they were lured by catchy marketing, enticing fruity flavors, flashy parties and promises of looking cool," she said.
The agreement secured last year found that JUUL misled customers about their product’s nicotine content and made false claims that vaping was safer than cigarettes.
“Big tech and big tobacco use similar ploys to get to our kids. Addictive social media feeds and nicotine get our children hooked on scrolling and vaping," James said. "And we’ve seen firsthand just how harmful this is to our kids' mental and physical health.”
Connecticut will receive about $16 million in the settlement.
