Cancer society applauds certification of class-action against e-cigarette maker JUUL

The B.C. Supreme Court has certified a national class-action lawsuit against Juul Labs Canada, Ltd., Juul Labs Inc., and Altria Group Inc. This legal milestone allows the 2019 lawsuit to proceed on its merits, alleging that the companies used misleading marketing to falsely present e-cigarettes as safe alternatives to smoking while conspiring to addict young people to nicotine.

The Canadian Cancer Society has welcomed the decision, noting that the certification is a crucial procedural step. Without it, the litigation would have to proceed as individual cases, which is often unfeasible against well-funded defendants. Rob Cunningham, a policy analyst with the society, suggested that delays in the case are part of a long-standing industry strategy used by tobacco companies to avoid accountability.

This case is significant as it is the first national class-action lawsuit certified against a vaping or tobacco company in Canada. The Canadian Cancer Society is using this development to call for stronger government regulations, including taxation, marketing restrictions, flavor bans, and raising the minimum legal age for vaping to 21 to combat rising youth nicotine addiction.

(Source：Bnn Bloomberg)