Juul Said It Would Disrupt Big Tobacco. They May Join Forces Instead
The company’s deal talks with Altria have complicated its carefully crafted image.
In November, residents of San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood gathered at a local city planning meeting to express their disgust at Juul Labs Inc. The 1,500-person company, which makes a nicotine vaporizer, had signed a sublease for office space in the area, a move some residents called "unconscionable" because Juul has been accused of marketing its wildly popular e-cigarette to minors. During the hearing, concerned parents and residents said Juul didn't belong in their neighborhood. Days later City Attorney Dennis Herrera asked the developer subleasing the city-owned property to provide documents showing Juul is complying with state and city requirements for handling hazardous materials like liquid nicotine and chemicals that may cause cancer.
"Juul is a tobacco company disguised as a tech company," said Christine Chessen, a mother of three who attended the hearing. "I am outraged to have Big Tobacco in our city."