Greater than $17 million in settlement cash from a nationwide lawsuit towards digital cigarette maker Juul Labs will likely be distributed to varsities and organizations throughout Colorado to curb teen vaping, the Colorado Legal professional Normal’s Workplace introduced Tuesday.
The $17.4 million in funding — which comes from an almost $32 million settlement Juul Labs agreed to pay the Colorado Legal professional Normal’s Workplace in April of 2023 over advertising and marketing practices geared toward youngsters — will likely be unfold throughout 42 faculties, authorities entities and nonprofit organizations, in keeping with a Tuesday information launch from the Legal professional Normal’s Workplace.
Juul Lab’s $31.7 million cost to Colorado was half of a bigger $462 million settlement the e-cigarette firm paid to 6 states and the District of Columbia to settle claims that the corporate illegally marketed its digital cigarettes to younger folks and misrepresented the well being dangers related to vaping.
An estimated 30% of Colorado highschool college students have tried vaping, which is barely increased than the estimated 20.8% of pupils who’ve ever smoked a cigarette, in keeping with the state Division of Public Well being and Setting’s 2021 Wholesome Youngsters Colorado Survey.
The applications funded by a sequence of grants from the $17.4 million chunk of the settlement will concentrate on training, prevention and therapy of youth vaping, together with psychological and behavioral well being companies, in keeping with the Legal professional Normal’s Workplace.
“By investing in these organizations, we’re taking a important step towards defending our youth from the hazards of vaping,” Legal professional Normal Phil Weiser acknowledged within the information launch. “This funding will empower communities to coach our younger folks concerning the dangers, implement preventive measures and supply important therapy for these affected.”
The grants had been awarded by way of two applications: one for nonprofits and authorities entities, and one other for varsity districts and constitution faculties in partnership with the Colorado Division of Training, the Legal professional Normal’s Workplace mentioned.
The Combating Youth Vaping in Colorado Grant awarded $6 million to nonprofits and authorities entities, together with:
- Servicios de La Raza. The staff obtained $950,000 to create a bilingual cessation applications for Latino youth and launch a youth-led prevention program with academic outreach.
- Colorado’s Boys & Women Membership. This system obtained $855,979 to implement prevention applications and group engagement actions in 50 clubhouses throughout the state.
- Denver Division of Public Well being and Setting. The division obtained $541,158 to ship trauma-informed counseling, nicotine alternative remedy and group engagement with help from a Youth Advisory Board.
- Rocky Mountain Heart for Well being Promotion and Training. The middle obtained $800,000 to “improve protecting components towards youth substance use” and prepare adults to construct sturdy connections with youth in household, college and group settings.
- The College of Colorado/Colorado Faculty of Public Well being’s UpRISE program. This system obtained $544,018 to develop a youth-led social justice motion for tobacco management, present academic applications, construct organizational partnerships and have interaction a various youth motion board.
The Colorado Division of Legislation can be working to award $11.4 million to highschool districts, constitution faculties and academic companies companies over the following three years.
“We’re happy to award this grant funding to combat the youth vaping disaster by offering sources for training, prevention and therapy in our Colorado faculties,” mentioned Colorado Training Commissioner Susana Córdova. “Our purpose is to present native educators the instruments they should deal with the well being impacts of vaping on our youth.”
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