Attorney General Maura Healey, of Massachusetts, has claimed that the vaping brand JUUL tried to hire Miley Cyrus and other high-profile influencers to popularize vaping products.
The Miley Cyrus accusation was part of a lawsuit filed on Wednesday by Attorney General Healey and the State of Massachusetts. The complaint alleged that JUUL intentionally targeted underage users, creating a full-fledged nicotine and vaping addiction in the process. Healey began her investigation in July of 2018, and evidently, she found substantial reason to proceed with legal action.
In the lawsuit’s filing, Healey placed the blame for “the fact that millions of young people nationwide are now addicted to e-cigarettes” squarely on the shoulders of JUUL and its executives. Additionally, Healey alleged that since its inception, JUUL has worked to put its products in the hands of young individuals by portraying vapers as “flirtatious, playful” people.
Accusations became more serious from there. AG Healey indicated JUUL went out of its way to buy ads on Seventeen.com and Teen.com and “recruited celebrities and social media influencers with large numbers of underage followers,” including (attempted) recruitments of Miley Cyrus, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Jennifer Lawrence.
It was also said that JUUL sent Carnival Row star Cara Delevingne free vaping products in an effort to secure her endorsement.
More concrete violations were made concerning JUUL’s selling directly to underage consumers, failing to verify the age and identity of many consumers, and otherwise distributing products to those who were prohibited by law from buying them.
At the time of this piece’s writing, neither the mentioned celebrities nor JUUL’s legal team had responded publicly to the lawsuit, which was submitted to the Superior Court Department of the Massachusetts Trial Court.
Miley Cyrus’s upcoming album, She Is Miley Cyrus, is expected to release sometime in 2020, though a specific date hasn’t been established. Two of the album’s 18 tracks dropped as singles last year and were generally well received by fans and critics.