In a significant victory for public health, the State of Alaska has finalized a $7.8 million settlement with vaping giants Juul Labs and Altria Group, accusing them of aggressively marketing high-nicotine products to young people. The agreement, announced on December 9, 2025, concludes five years of litigation and ranks among the nation’s highest per-capita recoveries for such cases. The funds will bolster prevention programs aimed at curbing youth nicotine addiction, addressing a crisis that has plagued Alaskan teens.
The lawsuit, filed in 2020, alleged that Juul and Altria designed sleek, flavored devices resembling USB drives, which appealed directly to adolescents while delivering nicotine doses far exceeding traditional cigarettes. This marketing strategy reversed decades of progress in reducing youth tobacco use, prompting a statewide epidemic. According to state officials, Juul’s tactics included social media influencers and underage sales promotions, leading to a spike in vaping rates among high school students.
Alaska Attorney General Stephen Cox highlighted the effort’s payoff, noting the settlement imposes strict court-enforceable restrictions on the companies’ operations in the state. The payout includes $5.8 million from Juul over five years and $2 million from Altria, settled last year. After legal fees, the net amount will flow to the Department of Health (DOH) for initiatives like the “Not Buying It” campaign, peer-to-peer education, and community partnerships.
DOH Commissioner Heidi Hedberg stressed the settlement’s role in safeguarding future generations. “This settlement allows us to strengthen programs that protect Alaska’s youth from nicotine addiction,” Hedberg said. “We will continue investing in prevention, education, and community partnerships that support healthier futures for young Alaskans.”
Progress is evident: The Alaska Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows high school e-cigarette use dropped from 26% in 2019 to 17% in 2023. Yet, challenges persist, with 38% of teens having tried vaping. The funds will target schools, online platforms, and local organizations to counter ongoing risks.
This resolution underscores Alaska’s commitment to youth health, joining a national wave of accountability against Big Tobacco’s modern iterations. Officials urge parents and educators to visit the DOH website for resources on tobacco prevention.
For more information, see press release:
It’s not just the Nicotine, it’s all the other chemicals added like formaldehyde. Manufactured where? China of course.
This is truly awful, as vaping is the solution rather than the problem. The more difficult you make vaping, the more kiddos return to cigarettes. You idiots. Of course, it might just be a $$$ grab, as the vaping industry didn’t go belly up like tobacco did and start writing large caliber checks to those who threaten them. That makes sense as tobacco was a multi-billion industry in the 1990s while vaping today is the very definition of small business with no available $$$.
What rot. Cheer –
And what’s worse agimarc sucking glycol into your lungs or tobacco smoke. Poor lungs. 2 air bags, you only get 2 of them why chance destroying them.?? I don’t get it. Stupid is as stupid does.
These same nanny state health Karens openly collect $$$ from the pot industry so they can pollute our state with legalized weed – but shriek and crusade against a relatively harmless stimulant like nicotine.
Its not about your health. These government golems want you passive, fat and dependent, like your average braindead pothead – not hopped up on nicotine. People with energy might vote, or go to an Anchorage Assembly meeting and complain!
Every dollar spent on nicotine is money not going to the weed industry, and that simply can’t continue. Wake me when we start seeing multi-million dollar awards from Pfizer and other COVID vaccine pushers.
Nicotine is not a harmless stimulant. It’s very toxic and can attack the nervous and cardio vascular systems. There are other toxic substances added with it like tars and formaldehyde.
Apu,
I am one of those so called Karen’s who has seen teenagers collapse due to vaping. Money from alcohol and pot go into a general fund for discretionary spending. Vape juice has more nicotine than tobacco. The pot of that adults give to their kids creates teenage zombies. It is obvious you make money from people buying these products and don’t like the regulation.
APU i despise the pot industry. And as predicted it’s now wreaking its destruction on our country. It removes 18% of our population from most of the workforce. No one wants a pot head.
This will no doubt work at least as well as the settlement with opioid manufacturers that led to the complete eradication of homelessness.
Next we go after the cell phone manufacturers for creating an entire generation of brain-dead zombies. God forbid we hold parents or adolescents accountable for their own choices. This settlement money is nothing more than a sin tax. the sin taxes on pot and alcohol have not stopped one person from choosing to use and the money extracted from consumers has not solved a single social ill plaguing our communities.