After resolving a class action lawsuit against vaping businesses, Tucson Unified School District will soon begin to earn several million dollars.
Following a settlement with the Altria Group, TUSD will receive $3.2 million as part of a class action lawsuit alongside hundreds of other school districts around the nation. The parent business of several tobacco and e-cigarette brands, including Marlboro, Black and Mild cigars, and NJoy, is the Altria Group.
Five months prior, the school district and Juul reached a settlement amounting to little over $10 million. The identical class action lawsuit is the subject of both settlements.
According to TUSD Governing Board President, our staff spent numerous hours creating statistics, depositions, and other materials that helped demonstrate how Juul and Altria's actions damage our school system. He said that vape businesses target teenagers.
By the end of this year, the funding will begin to flow to the school system, and it will continue to do so over the following several years. To collaborate with the staff and district officials on identifying the best evidence-based relationships and processes required, a dedicated task group composed of local specialists in healthcare and addiction medicine is formed.
25% of the settlement sum will go to the district's solicitors. The district will still get around $10.3 million across the two settlements after the reduction.
The president of the TUSD Governing Board stated that he wants every cent of the settlement funds to go towards ensuring that the students are prepared to study and develop by assisting in the prevention and treatment of addiction among them, as well as addressing their mental health issues. The new funding, he claimed, will supplement the student assistance programs already offered by the school system.
This will significantly increase the number of services our district can offer, both in terms of prevention to assist students who aren't currently using, preventing them from using substances, as well as assistance to students who are using, assisting them with treatment, with addiction management, and with mental health management.
