BALTIMORE, MD—The e-cigarette company JUUL Labs has agreed to pay $8 million in a multi-million dollar settlement with the city of Baltimore for marketing to minors and endangering the health of city residents, officials announced this week.

According to a press release from the city of Baltimore, the settlement came after a lawsuit filed in 2020 by the city alleged that JUUL’s products and marketing campaigns aimed at minors cost the city millions of dollars as it pushed back against this messaging.

The city said that JUUL had the option of making a single payment of $7.5 million by the end of 2024 or making three payments of $3 million, $2 million, and $3 million in December 2024, October 2025, and October 2026. The city said it declined to participate in a global settlement that would have only seen it recover $1.9 million.

“Since taking office, my administration has done everything in our power to invest in Baltimore’s young people to ensure they can reach their full potential,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “Achieving that aim means focusing on every aspect of their lives – including their health. When there is such a clear case of a company wrongfully targeting them to increase their bottom line, then we have a responsibility to take action and that’s what we did with this lawsuit. I am grateful to the legal team for their diligent work on this case and for reaching this settlement for the residents of Baltimore.”

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

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