“Attractive nuisance.”
That’s the phrase Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum uses to explain Oregon’s recent surge of unrestricted teen e-cigarette use.
In legal terms, “attractive nuisance” is the concept that a property owner can be held responsible for injuries sustained by a child trespassing on their property, if the owner has an item on their property that’s likely to attract children, like a trampoline or a swimming pool.
Or, Rosenblum argues, if they’re selling candy-flavored e-cigarettes.
Rosenblum is currently leading an Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into the teen-targeted advertising practices of Juul, the country’s top purveyor of flavored e-cigarettes.
“It’s pretty clear Juul is the big elephant in the room when it comes to e-cigarettes and marketing to kids,” says Rosenblum. “It’s hard to believe they weren’t aware their advertising at least appeared to be targeted to young people, and that it was quite successful.”
