Aug 29, 2019

Juul incentivizes retailers to use its age-verification system

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Juul is offering retailers $100 million in incentives to "install a new electronic age-verification system" that the vaping giant hopes will restrict illegal sales to minors, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Why it matters: This is Juul's latest attempt to fight the allegations that the company has helped fuel the teen vaping epidemic.

  • The system blocks the sale of any Juul product until the retailer scans an official government ID.
  • It also "limits each purchase to a maximum of one vaporizer and four refill packs."

The big picture: Some retailers have already taken matters into their own hands. Rite Aid and Walgreens have raised the age to buy tobacco in their stores to 21.

What's next: Juul says 40,000 stores, including some major convenience store chains, have already agreed to install the system, per the WSJ.

  • Juul plans to stop selling to retailers who don't use it by May 2021.

Go deeper: Juul's growing kids crisis

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  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3 a.m. ET: 5,410,228 — Total deaths: 345,105 — Total recoveries — 2,169,005 — Map.
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Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

U.S. coronavirus updates

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios. This graphic includes "probable deaths" that New York City began reporting on April 14.

The CDC is warning of potentially "aggressive rodent behavior" amid a rise in reports of rat activity in several areas, as the animals search further for food while Americans stay home more during the coronavirus pandemic.

By the numbers: More than 97,700 people have died from COVID-19 and over 1.6 million have tested positive in the U.S. Over 366,700 Americans have recovered and more than 14.1 million tests have been conducted.

Go deeper (2 min. read)ArrowUpdated 3 hours ago - Health

World coronavirus updates

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Axios Visuals

Japan's economy minister outlined plans on Monday to end the nationwide state of emergency as the number of new novel coronavirus cases continues to decline to fewer than 50 a day, per Bloomberg. Japan has reported 16,550 cases and 820 deaths.

By the numbers: Over 5.4 million people have tested positive for the virus as of Monday, and more than 2.1 million have recovered. The U.S. has reported the most cases in the world (over 1.6 million from 13.7 million tests). The U.K. is reporting over 36,800 deaths from the coronavirus — the most fatalities outside the U.S.

Go deeper (2 min. read)ArrowUpdated 4 hours ago - Health