SEATTLE — Seattle Public Schools (SPS) will receive a $1.75 million settlement from Juul, Atria and other e-cigarette manufacturers as the result of a federal lawsuit the school district brought against the companies.
A "dramatic uptick" in e-cigarette use, youth vaping and youth nicotine addiction in 2019 led the district to file the lawsuit. SPS was seeking increased funding for education and prevention efforts aimed at students, families, staff and the community. The suit claimed that Juul's marketing deliberately targeted minors.
"I am thrilled with the efforts of our teams that brought about this settlement and look forward to increased support for SPS students," wrote Dr. Brent Jones, SPS superintendent.
The U.S. Surgeon General declared e-cigarette use among teens a public health epidemic as far back as 2018, saying it was important to protect the youth against a "lifetime of nicotine addiction." According to the latest CDC data, e-cigarettes are the most commonly used nicotine product among teens. Encouragingly, e-cigarette use dropped between 10% and 14% among middle and high school students between 2022 and 2023.
Under the settlement, SPS will receive about $1.3 million over four years. The first installment of $750,000 will be paid this December. SPS will receive another settlement from Atria, a shareholder in Juul, of about $400,000 in the first half of 2024. The rest of the money would come in monthly installments up until 2027.
The district may use the money for student health-related initiatives aimed at remedying vaping and addiction issues which spurred the lawsuit in the first place.
King County settled its own lawsuit against the e-cigarette manufacturer in April. A lawsuit brought by the state of Washington was settled in April 2022.