LPS recieves $1 million in a nationwide lawsuit against the vape company JUUL
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After 2 years in court, Juul will pay Lincoln Public School just over $1 million. The lawsuit, filed in 2021, was part of a nationwide movement against the teenage vaping epidemic.
Lincoln Public Schools is preparing to receive $1 million in a lawsuit against the vaping company, Juul Labs Inc. The nationwide suit, which LPS joined in January of 2021, made allegations that Juul marketed its highly addictive nicotine products toward teenagers.
Juul used bright colors and enticing flavors that drew attention to the product. They also put their advertisements on sites frequented by youth, like Nickelodeon and homework help pages.
After two years in court, Juul agreed to pay $1.7 billion to school districts across the United States. They will pay LPS a $1.3 million settlement in their allegations against the e-cigarette company. After paying their lawyers, Lincoln Public Schools will receive $955,000. They are currently deliberating what to do with the money they acquired in the suit.
One student at Lincoln East recommends that Lincoln Public Schools put the money towards vaping prevention.
“If the money came from a vaping company, LPS should use it against their product,” Lily Korpas said. “The stalls in the bathroom are always full, and I know it’s because kids are vaping. I feel like Lincoln Public Schools could see a decrease in the number of students vaping if they put the money towards vaping prevention.”
Another student thinks that LPS should spend money to help their students.
“During Covid, they supplied free lunches for all students,” Emerson Wilcox said. “It was nice when we didn’t have to pay for lunch. It also helped relieve some financial stress for low-income families. If LPS could bring that back, it would be cool.”
Wilcox also suggests Lincoln Public Schools use the settlement to give our school libraries new supplies.
“It would be awesome if the schools could get more resources for students to use,” Wilcox said. “New books, stronger wifi, more printers, and MacBooks would be great.”
With many options on the table, LPS must make a difficult decision. No matter what LPS decides to do with the money, many agree that they should use it to benefit the students, the real victims of Juul, and the vaping epidemic.
Claire Weibye is a senior at Lincoln East, entering her third and final year on staff. As the Layout Editor, Claire seeks to smooth out the print edition...