BOSTON — Massachusetts has sued a national retailer of electronic cigarette and vaping products, alleging the company violated state law by targeting minors for sales of its merchandise, Attorney General Maura Healey announced Thursday.
The complaint filed in Suffolk Superior Court alleges that Clifton, N.J.-based Eonsmoke violated Massachusetts consumer laws by targeting underage consumers through its marketing and advertising, and failed to verify online buyers’ ages or ensure shipments were received by a person 21 or older, as the state requires.
The lawsuit is the first filed by the attorney general since her office launched a broad investigation of the e-cigarette industry last summer.
Healey said the company’s products, marketed on social media sites such as Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube, contain some of the highest nicotine concentrations on the vaping market and include flavored products with names like “gummy bear” and “cereal loops.”
