Kentucky kids need safe and healthy communities to grow up, free from harmful products like nicotine and tobacco. But for decades, tobacco manufacturers have found ways to evolve their products and marketing strategies to appeal to youth at a young age and keep them hooked.  

Despite youth smoking rates declining over the past decade, current use rates remain a concern – with Kentucky youth using nicotine and tobacco at a higher rate than the national average. This resurgence of nicotine use among youth is largely due to the rise of e-cigarettes or vapes in the last ten years. These products come in a variety of shapes and sizes, featuring colorful packaging and fruity flavors, and pack in nicotine content much higher than that of a traditional cigarette.  

In 2019, JUUL was the largest e-cigarette manufacturer in the United States and despite their claim to be a tool for adults to quit smoking, their marketing campaigns, free sample distribution, and celebrity endorsements led to a new generation of nicotine-dependent users – kids.  

As a result, Kentucky’s then Attorney General, Daniel Cameron, took an important step toward protecting kids by joining a 33-state lawsuit against JUUL for its practices of marketing to youth. This resulted in a settlement in which JUUL agreed to pay Kentucky over $14 million over several years.  

Public health experts across the nation have weighed in on the best ways to spend this money including things like tobacco education and prevention, treatment and cessation programming for kids, and data collection, but Kentucky has not followed any of these recommendations. In fact, the JUUL Settlement dollars haven’t been directed anywhere, a task assigned to the General Assembly to allocate through legislation.  

In a state that spends just $2 million per year on tobacco prevention and cessation programming – a fraction of the recommended $56.4 million – there is a clear need for additional investments to support treatment for kids dependent on nicotine and prevention programs to curb initiation.  

With settlement dollars already flowing into Kentucky in response to youth vaping concerns, we need lawmakers to prioritize using these funds effectively – in the best interest of kids.  

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