E-cigarette maker Juul boosts lobbying spend amid regulatory crackdown
E-cigarette maker Juul boosts lobbying spend amid regulatory crackdown
CNBC
Angelica LaVito
Leading e-cigarette manufacturer Juul spent half a million dollars on lobbying last quarter — up 167 percent from the previous quarter — as regulators weigh restrictions on the industry to stem a surge in teens using the devices.
In the third quarter, Juul spent $560,000, according to a lobbying disclosure form. That compares with the $210,000 it spent in the previous quarter, according to a filing. The company focused its efforts on e-cigarette and vaping regulation, as well as tariffs on products manufactured in China, it said in the disclosure.
However, the $560,000 is half of the amount the company initially reported spending Tuesday. The company filed an amendment correcting the figure, Juul spokeswoman Victoria Davis told CNBC.
Juul has beefed up its Washington operations amid growing scrutiny that could threaten its business. It has hired Tevi Troy, deputy Health and Human Services secretary in the George W. Bush administration; Jim Esquea, an assistant HHS secretary in the Obama administration; and Ted McCann, a senior policy advisor to House Speaker Paul Ryan, among others.