$8.8M Anti-Vaping Programs To Be Launched By Suffolk Officials

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — Suffolk County officials are fighting youth vaping with new programs funded by $8.8 million from the state's settlement with e-cigarette giant JUUL Labs Inc., officials announced.

New York State Sen. Monica R. Martinez, Attorney General Letitia James and other Suffolk County officials announced the funding on Thursday and unveiled plans to use the money to fund a range of programs to reduce and prevent underage vaping.

According to Martinez, the funding is a result of the state’s settlement agreement with electronic cigarette maker JUUL Labs Inc. that was secured by Attorney General James and several other attorneys general who joined the lawsuit.

As part of the multistate 2023 agreement, JUUL will pay $462 million to six states and the District of Columbia, with New York receiving $112.7 million spread out over eight years.

"Electronic cigarette companies have clouded the minds of New Yorkers about the harmful effects of nicotine use, especially among teens and adolescents," said Martinez. "This settlement's funding will help dissipate the clouds of deception that have encouraged youth e-cigarette use across Suffolk County and throughout our state. As a sponsor of legislation to reduce adolescent vaping, I thank Attorney General James for securing this settlement on behalf of New York’s children and for reinvesting it into their healthier futures.”

The news follows the decision of some Suffolk County schools—such as Lindenhurst Middle School— to install THC and vape smoke detectors in student bathrooms, Patch reported in June.