The Portland Public Schools district has become the latest district to sue e-cigarette company Juul Labs, accusing the company of marketing its products to teenagers and contributing to the illegal drug use in the city's schools.
According to a lawsuit filed in the US District Court in Portland, approximately half of the disciplinary actions related to drug abuse in the 2021-22 school year were due to vaping and e-cigarette use.
As a result, the school district has added information on electronic cigarettes and nicotine addiction to its "Insight" curriculum, which is a 14-week student and parent education program aimed at students who violate the district's drug and tobacco policies.
A lawsuit alleges that, similar to the nationwide rise in electronic cigarette usage, there is a high rate of teenagers in Portland public schools using e-cigarettes. The lawsuit states that from 2017 to 2019, the usage of e-cigarettes among 11th-grade students in Multnomah County rose from approximately 10% to 21%. Juul's founders, Adam Bowen and James Monsees, are accused of developing a highly addictive product to expand their loyal user base and using tactics similar to the tobacco industry to market it to young people.
It accuses the company of using child-friendly flavors to appeal to young people without ensuring that the flavorings can be safely inhaled.
A recently filed lawsuit alleges that an electronic cigarette manufacturer has been engaging in both environmental pollution and extortion. The school district is requesting that a judge order the company to cease enabling teenage addiction and award damages to help cover costs for prevention education, addiction treatment, and on-campus monitoring. They are also seeking punitive damages.
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