• Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin

Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Your neighborhood. Your News.

newsMilwaukee NNSMilwaukee NNSSearch
Subscribe to NNS today!
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    • Arts and Recreation
    • Community
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Health and Wellness
    • Housing
    • Public Safety
    • NNS Spotlight
    • Special Report
  • Posts From Community
    • Submit a Story
  • Community Voices
  • How To
  • Multimedia
    • NNS Local Video
    • Photos
    • NNS on Lake Effect
    • NNS WGLB 1560 Radio
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • About
    • Staff
    • Partners
    • News 414
    • The neighborhoods we cover
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University

You are here: Home / Home / Carousel / Milwaukee Public Schools joins national lawsuit against e-cigarette companies

Milwaukee Public Schools joins national lawsuit against e-cigarette companies

November 4, 2020 by Sam Woods Leave a Comment

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Flavored tobacco products have been blamed for hooking young people on nicotine. Here Emme Chavez, teen outreach specialist for the Wisconsin Hispanic Tobacco Prevention Network, holds packaging from one candy-flavored product (left) next to two candy-flavored tobacco wrappers in 2013. (File photo by Edgar Mendez)

Milwaukee Public Schools is joining a nationwide lawsuit against companies that manufacture and sell e-cigarettes.

Keller Rohrback and MWH Law Group filed the class-action lawsuit against JUUL Labs Inc., alleging that the e-cigarette company’s advertising and product design deliberately targeted minors, and that Altria Group Inc., previously known as Philip Morris Companies and a part owner of JUUL, knowingly supported targeting minors.

A JUUL company spokesman said the company has halted advertising, eliminated flavored products other than menthol and submitted documents to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration outlining the products’ “harm reduction potential” and measures to address underage use.

Data from MPS’ Youth Behavior Risk Survey, an annual survey of sixth- through 12th-graders on health behaviors, including tobacco use, shows e-cigarette use, or vaping, is more prevalent than the use of traditional cigarettes.

In 2019, only 3% of high schoolers reported they used traditional cigarettes, while 8% reported using e-cigarettes. Similarly, only 3% of middle schoolers reported using traditional cigarettes, compared with 9% using e-cigarettes.

Linnea Laestadius, an associate professor at UW-Milwaukee’s Zilber School of Public Health, says that while flavored e-cigarettes are a problem for teen tobacco use, the availability of other flavored tobacco products also needs to be limited. Here she presents her findings about tobacco sales and advertising in Milwaukee. (File photo by Lydia Slattery)

Milwaukee City Attorney Tearman Spencer said this illustrates the damage done to the progress the city had made in curbing tobacco use before e-cigarettes arrived.

“It took years to get to the relatively low level of youth tobacco use we had in 2017 before this, at great cost to the city,” Spencer said. “It is not fair for MPS or the city to bear the entire cost of undoing what these companies did.”

The Common Council will also vote on whether to join the suit.

Spencer said he’s unsure about the timing of the lawsuit, but that if “we are super lucky,” it’ll take a couple of years.

A new development in old fight

Backlash against flavored tobacco products is not new.

Anti-tobacco advocates in Milwaukee have for years said flavored products are dangerous because they are designed to appeal to young people.

But Linnea Laestadius, associate professor at the UW-Milwaukee’s Zilber School of Public Health, stresses that going after e-cigarette companies attacks only part of the problem. For example, while JUUL has pulled all flavors of its products other than menthol since the lawsuit, cigarillos are still available in all kinds of flavors.

In MPS’ 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 8% of high school youth said they used e-cigarettes regularly, compared with 6% who use cigarillos. Only 3% said they use cigarettes.

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Filed Under: Carousel, Education, Home, Neighborhoods, News

Sam Woods

About Sam Woods

Facebook | More stories from Sam

Sam Woods is a staff reporter primarily covering education in Milwaukee. When not reporting for NNS, Sam produces the Bridge the City podcast, a podcast that brings together people, resources, and ideas that inspire Milwaukee to action, with a reach of over 6,000 monthly subscribers across all podcast platforms.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Top Stories

Advertisement

How To …

How to avoid stimulus check scams

A new round of stimulus checks will likely also bring out a new round of scams. Here’s what to watch out for.

More "How To" articles

Advertisement

Recommended Reading

A Vaccine Reality Check

The Atlantic

UWM study on the state of Black Milwaukee describes the city as ‘the epitome of a 21st century racial regime’

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Videos Show How Federal Officers Escalated Violence in Portland

The New York Times

These mayors want to fight Covid-19 and the recession with one big idea: A guaranteed income

Vox

The World John Lewis Helped Create

The Atlantic

News

  • Arts and Recreation
  • Economic Development
  • Education
  • Health and Wellness
  • Housing
  • Public Safety
  • NNS Spotlight
  • Special Reports
  • Multimedia
    • NNS Videos
    • Photos
    • NNS on Lake Effect Radio

Engage with us

  • Posts from Community
  • Community Voices
  • Submit a Story

About NNS

  • Staff
  • Partners
  • News414
  • The neighborhoods we cover
  • Internship opportunities
  • Careers
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS feed

Communities

Contact

mailing address
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Diederich College of Communication
Marquette University
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Johnston Hall 430
Milwaukee, WI 53233

email
info@milwaukeenns.org

phone & fax
PHONE: 414.604.6397 FAX: 414.288.6494

Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service is a project of Diederich College of Communication and Marquette University.
© 2020 Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Terms of use.
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee WI 53233 • info@milwaukeenns.org

Copyright © 2021 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in