These days it’s pretty common to see people vaping in public places, whether it be in parking lots, restaurants, bars, or even high school bathrooms. Vaping has been on the rise in recent years, with young people consuming the products more than anyone else. The FDA has been after vape giants such as Juul for years now, determined to place restrictions on their sales in an attempt to limit consumption by minors.
The FDA fears that the younger generation is getting addicted to nicotine early on, thus putting their health in jeopardy. A 22-year-old man from Connecticut named Maxwell Berger is now suing Juul, saying that their products caused him to have a massive stroke, according to Forbes .
Berger was only a senior in high school when he first starting vaping using Juul products. It didn’t take him long to get addicted. By the year 2017, he could barely function without the device and was vaping as much as once every 10 minutes. He would even go through two pods a day.
The amount of nicotine in one Juul pod is estimated to be around the same amount of nicotine that an entire pack of traditional cigarettes would have. Berger’s inability to quit would change his life forever. In July of 2017, Berger had an extremely serious hemorrhagic stroke that doctors believe was linked to his excessive vaping habit. He is still dealing with the consequences of the stroke to this day and will continue to do so for the rest of his life.
Following the stroke, Berger had to have three different brain surgeries. He spent over 100 days in the hospital. In addition, he also suffers from left side paralysis, speech impairment, and decreased vision as a result of the stroke. In the suit he filed against Juul, he states that it was the company’s marketing that drew him in. He said that Juul portrayed its products to be safe and cool, causing young people who are just trying to fit in to get addicted.
WATCH: Juul CEO apologizes to parents of children who vape: “I’m sorry for them, and I have empathy for them” https://t.co/VagcFxqhS6 pic.twitter.com/nijBEa1Iqy
— The Hill (@thehill) July 14, 2019
Attorney Sarah London represents Berger. She explained their motivation for going after the vape giant.
“We are hoping that Juul takes responsibility for its conduct in targeting and luring young people to use its very dangerous products, and that they are held accountable for fair and reasonable compensation to this young man. We hope the lawsuit can help get the word out about the dangers of this product. We hope this doesn’t happen to anyone again.”
