According to documents obtained by the Massachusetts Attorney General's office, Juul bought ads on seventeen different educational, gaming, and crafting sites directed towards middle and high school students.

[24] In 2005, two former cigarette smokers, Adam Bowen and James Monsees, met while they were graduate students in product-design at Stanford University and developed an e-cigarette called Ploom.

[1][28] Other board members include Nicholas Pritzker, whose family owned chewing tobacco giant Conwood,[17] Riaz Valani, and Hoyoung Huh.

[35] In April 2018, former Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley joined Juul, working in the government affairs team to coordinate lobbying for the product, while advocating against underage usage.

[47] On June 13, 2019, United States House of Representatives launched an investigation into the Juul Labs, looking into the business deal with Altria, social media and advertising practices, and communications.

[62] Current company investors include Tiger Global Management, mutual fund firm Fidelity Investments, and Tao Capital.

[64] Critics have cited the acquisition as proof that the vaping industry and "Big Tobacco," the latter of which long denied the link between smoking and health complications, are increasingly one and the same.

[65] Shortly after the deal, which also allowed Juul to be sold in more places, then FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb called out the combined company for "deviating from the representation that they already made to the agency about steps they are taking to restrict their products in a way that will decrease access to kids.

[84] Juul's products have become immensely popular among teenagers, raising concerns among the public health community that long-term declines in youth nicotine use are being reversed.

[99] A lack of educational programs and public health campaigns regarding the use of e-cigarettes and Juuls reflect how teenagers may perceive these devices as many of the risks are still unknown.

[88] Juul's resemblance to a flash drive and very compact size makes it easy to conceal,[89] and its low vapor output and subtle scent,[82] which can be passed off as perfume,[82] mean that it can be used discreetly, even in class.

"[110] In sampling multiple e-cigarette delivery systems, a 2019 study found Juul pods were the only product to demonstrate in vitro cytotoxicity from both nicotine and flavor chemical content, in particular ethyl maltol.

"[117] In late 2018, news reports noted increasing rates of Juul addiction in teenagers,[118] which negatively impacts brain development and relationships.

[120] In 2021, Juul paid $51,000 to devote the entire May/June issue American Journal of Health Behavior to publishing 11 studies that it funded to show its products helped smokers quit.

[142] In response, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare called for the device to be banned from India, citing concerns that it could derail the government's anti-tobacco programs.

[144] As such, Juul e-cigarettes are not legally available in India and they are commonly sold on the gray market for as much as $100 for the starter kit that costs $29 in the United States.

[17][75] Juul's use of social media marketing is also relatively inexpensive: to promote Vuse, its owner R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company spent over $16 million on television ads alone in 2015 and 2016, according to Kantar data.

"[153] Similarly, the campaign's vice-president of communications Wilmore stated that Juul Labs "used the same imagery and themes that tobacco companies have always used to appeal to kids, and they fueled it with social media.

As part of its "enterprise marketing", Juul is reportedly looking at identifying participants and offer them discounted products as well as "coaching" and other support including educational articles and instructional videos.

[169] On October 1, 2019, it was reported that Juul had set up an astroturfing campaign called the Switch Network, intended to recruit consumers who are prepared to sign petitions, contact local officials, attend public rallies or protests, testify in public hearings or share their stories with the press to protest restrictions that Juul called "unfair and misguided".

[172] Juul Labs also sponsored two events with the Centre for Policy Studies, a think tank and pressure group in the United Kingdom, at the Conservative Party Conference.

The second event on October 1, 2019, was a panel discussion with Jo Churchill, MP and then the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care, on the topic "Why Inequality in Britain is About More Than Money".

Reynolds' Vuse, Altria's MarkTen, Imperial Brands' blu eCigs, and Japan Tobacco International's Logic—giving them 60 days to lay out their plans to address widespread youth use of their products.

[186][187] In October 2019, all federal lawsuits against Juul were consolidated into a multidistrict litigation in the Northern District of California before Judge William Orrick III.

[188] Various governing bodies have alleged in suits that Juul markets an unsafe product to children, including state attorneys general in Arizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, and North Carolina,[189] the District of Columbia,[190] and the school districts of Three Village Central in New York, La Conner in Washington, Olathe in Kansas, and Francis Howell in Missouri.

[194] The family of one teenager alleged he was enticed by Juul's "candy-like flavors, sleek and discreet design, and its representations that it was a healthier alternative to combustible cigarettes.

In response, then Juul CEO Kevin Burns allegedly said, "Half our customers are drunk and vaping like mo-fos, who the fuck is going to notice the quality of our pods."

In April, 30 individual plaintiffs across three separate cases similarly alleged that Juul's marketing "targeted youths and young adults with aggressive advertising campaigns" and misrepresented its products as safe.

[206] In September 2022, Juul had to pay $438.5M as a settlement after a two-year-long investigation into the company's marketing and sales practices aimed at teenagers and minors, led by several US states.

The San Francisco Port Commission, which owns and operates the heritage structure at Pier 70, has supported the legislation to prevent Juul and also companies that are active in the tobacco, firearms and alcohol business from occupying property that belongs to the city.