Altria Secures the Juul Bag

According to an administrative law judge, Altria did not break anti-trust laws with its acquisition of Juul back in 2018. The WSJ reported the breaking news on Tuesday, pointing to a source familiar with the matter.

Although just being a preliminary ruling which will ultimately have to get voted on by the Federal Trade Commission, Altria hit an absolutely tasty lick with this acquisition. Altria secured a 35% stake in the most revolutionary player in the e-cigarette game at the time for a whopping $12.8 Billion. Got damn.

Although being at the time the most goated product on the market, JUUL has come under heavy scrutiny, often resulting in numerous fines and lawsuits. As of July 15, 2021, there were 2,339 Juul lawsuits across the U.S. combined in multidistrict litigation (MDL), MDL-2913. The lawsuits arise from marketing practices particularly targeting minors. Despite the litany of lawsuits, Juul captured 42% of all e-cigarette sales in the U.S. in 2020, Statista reports. Altria may have secured the W here, but pre mint and mango pod ban were truly the greatest era of all time.