JUUL

The FDA has cleared the way for Juul's biggest rivals to keep tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes on the market, but a similar approval might not happen for Juul.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Wednesday the vaping giant will dole out $22.5 million to the state over the course of four years.

The agency said applications for other flavored products were rejected mainly due to their appeal to underage teens, but it needed more time to consider Juul.

The vape companies, which filed applications for 6.5 million different vaping products, have been asked by the FDA to prove their products are indeed less harmful.

"North Carolina is now the first state in the nation to hold Juul accountable for its instrumental role in creating a youth vaping epidemic," Attorney General Josh Stein said at a news conference.

Though public health experts grow wary of prohibition efforts like these, flavors seem to attract youth users at disproportionate rates, compared with adults.

In the past few months alone, the vaping company parted with key leadership and cut more than 15 percent of its workforce in a two-pronged effort to win back the trust of federal regulators and save money heading into fiscal year 2020.

The company will cut 150 more jobs than it said it would in October.

More than 5 million high school and middle school students used e-cigarettes in 2019, up from 3.6 million the year before, despite prevention efforts.

Researchers followed the vaping habits of hundreds of teenagers in California.

Kate Lamothe, 24, has taken a plea and agreed to pay $350 in fines and court costs after stealing a vaping device from a Florida gas station in late July.

Chance Ammirata used to smoke one Juul pod every couple of days, which is the equivalent to around 10 cigarettes worth of nicotine.

Too many Americans understand pot as an innocuous, low-potency joint smoked as a rite of passage in high school or college. But the reality of today's marijuana — and its active ingredient, THC — is far different.

The FDA commissioner expressed his concerns that e-cigarette companies "such as JUUL" are failing to protect teens from consuming tobacco by the array of flavored tobacco cigarettes and vaping pods.

Juul argues that teaming up with Marlboro will help in its mission to "eliminate cigarettes."

A study released Monday said that 1.3 million more high school students vaped this year than in 2017.

The vape can be used to verify a user isn't underage, Juul Labs said, as lawsuits and public health officials claim the company markets to young people.

Young people posted on social media about using Juul on school grounds, in classrooms, in bathrooms, in the library and even during gym.