Even with all the intelligence at their disposal, human beings have failed rather sensationally at not making mistakes. This has already been proven quite few times throughout our history, with each testimony practically forcing us to look for some semblance of a defensive cover. To the world’s credit, we will solve our conundrum in the most fitting fashion once we bring dedicated regulatory bodies into the fold. Having a well-defined authority across each and every area was a game-changer, as it instantly gave us a cushion against our many shortcomings, therefore introducing us all those possibilities that we could have never imagined otherwise. However, the utopia to emerge here won’t last very long, and if we are being honest, it was very much technology’s fault. You see, the moment technology and its layered nature took over the scene, it allowed people an unprecedented chance to exploit others for their own benefit. In case the stated dynamic wasn’t devastating enough, the whole runner started to materialize on such a massive scale that it expectantly overwhelmed our governing forces and sent them back to the square. After spending a long time in the wilderness, though, the regulatory industry finally looks ready to make a comeback. If anything, the same has only turned more and more evident over the recent past, and a settlement involving Juul does a lot to keep up the trend.
E-cigarette maker, Juul has formally agreed to pay 34 US states a sum worth $438.5 million in relation to an investigation that deemed the company guilty of marketing and sales malpractices. As per the findings, Juul would target underage people despite having complete knowledge about the illegal nature of their actions. The company’s marketing drive seemingly included free samples, social media campaigns, launch parties, and the use of young-looking models in its advertising campaigns. To compliment these efforts, Juul even developed an easy-to-conceal packaging, while also offering various flavors like mango, fruit, mint, and many others that quickly became popular among the young customers.
“Juul’s cynically calculated advertising campaigns created a new generation of nicotine addicts,” said Connecticut Attorney General, William Tong, who also led the settlement negotiations. “They relentlessly marketed vaping products to underage youth, manipulated their chemical composition to be palatable to inexperienced users, employed an inadequate age verification process, and misled consumers about the nicotine content and addictiveness of its products.”
In 2018, however, the company was forced to pull all these flavors from the market after receiving regulatory scrutiny, thus leaving it with tobacco and menthol only. The situation will go from bad to worse, as in 2019, FDA banned Juul from selling any products in the US, but luckily for the polarizing cigarette manufacturer, a federal court would intervene and let its products stay on the market until further evaluation.
Coming back to the latest settlement, it imposes some significant restrictions on the company’s marketing operation. For instance, Juul’s marketing campaigns can no longer target people under the age of 35. Furthermore, the company’s sales operation across in-store and online avenues will also face some notable limitations. Beyond that, Juul, from onwards, will have to follow a retail compliance check protocol.
