North Carolina Attorney General Is Investigating This E-Cigarette
As the rise of e-cigarettes in schools continues to escalate, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein is taking important steps to protect our youth. As of November 16th, 2021, Stein is launching an investigation of Puff Bar, which has become the most popular e-cigarette brand among kids. He is calling on the FDA to eliminate all flavored e-cigarettes.
Puff Bar, which is sold in an assortment of kid-friendly flavors like banana ice and cool mint, delivers massive doses of nicotine that can quickly addict kids and has sought to evade FDA regulation by using synthetic nicotine in its products. According to the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey (2021 NYTS), 26.8% of middle and high school e-cigarette users report Puff Bar as their usual brand.
Attorney General Stein also announced a statewide investigation into companies all along the e-cigarette industry’s distribution chain, due to ongoing concerns about flavors, age verification, and marketing. That includes investigations into Puff Bar, a company with kid-friendly flavors that is filling the youth market Juul created.
This also includes an investigation into retailers across North Carolina that sell flavored e-cigarettes, including several located near middle and high schools. Attorney General Stein is issuing civil investigative demands to 20 companies today, including:
- Puff Bar
- 15 vape retail stores
- Three distributors
- One online seller
You can read more on this investigation in North Carolina here.
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