Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey tweeted Tuesday about the “epidemic” of vaping in state schools just hours after her predecessor, Martha Coakley, announced she was taking a full-time job with e-cigarette giant Juul Labs.
Healey’s office launched an investigation into the California-based vaping company in July 2018, alleging that Juul markets its products to minors.
“Vaping is the number one issue I hear about from parents and teachers,” Healey tweeted. “These reports indicate an epidemic of vaping in our schools and it’s why we’re investigating JUUL.”
Coakley hired Healey to work in the attorney general’s office in 2007.
Advertisement
“I was in a middle school visiting a group of students and I asked them, ‘How many of you have a friend that vapes?’ Every hand went up. The students went on to say they had friends who could not stop vaping if they wanted to. In other words their friends were addicted to nicotine,” Healey wrote.
During her tenure as attorney general, Coakley was known for taking corporations to court. In 2013, she was among 40 attorneys general who urged the FDA to ban sales of electronic cigarettes to minors and to clamp down on youth-oriented advertising of vaping products.
Coakley is set to join Juul’s government affairs team in mid-April and has been consulting for Juul for several months.
Vaping is the number one issue I hear about from parents and teachers.
— Maura Healey (@MassAGO) April 2, 2019
A superintendent told me that his students refer to the school bathroom as the “JUUL lounge."
A nurse estimated 80% of her students are vaping.
Another official said last year they confiscated 200+ devices.
It's not just adults reporting this to our office. I was in a middle school visiting a group of students and I asked them, “How many of you have a friend that vapes?”
— Maura Healey (@MassAGO) April 2, 2019
Every hand went up.
The students went on to say they had friends who could not stop vaping if they wanted to.
— Maura Healey (@MassAGO) April 2, 2019
In other words their friends were addicted to nicotine.
These reports indicate an epidemic of vaping in our schools and it's why we're investigating JUUL. pic.twitter.com/r2rhJjmznW
— Maura Healey (@MassAGO) April 2, 2019
Thank you @Newton_PS teachers and parents and Superintendent Fleishman for coming together tonight to talk about the critical issue of vaping in our schools. pic.twitter.com/dnvtySu0u9
— Maura Healey (@MassAGO) April 3, 2019
Previous Globe coverage was used in this report.
Abbi Matheson can be reached at abbi.matheson@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AbbiMatheson