Funding research

Juul Labs has pledged $7.5 million to Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, to research the impact of electronic cigarettes and vaping, reports CBS News.

The medical college said that Juul Labs has structured the $7.5 million grant in ways meant to ensure the “full autonomy” of the new Meharry Center for the Study of Social Determinants of Health, including “sole ownership of the sponsored research and complete control over publication of the findings.”

“The grant from Juul Labs gives Meharry the unique opportunity to take the lead on a new line of fully independent research in this critical area of public health,” said James Hildreth, Meharry’s president and CEO.

“Smoking has had disproportionately negative effects on minority, and particularly African-American, populations for decades. At Meharry, we have been on the front lines of treating those impacted by this scourge and see firsthand how smoking can destroy lives. Our goal is to help set a new course for education, prevention and policy surrounding the use of tobacco and e-cigarettes.”

The Juul grant comes on the heels of a New York Times report that Juul aggressively recruits scientists to prove to the Food and Drug Administration, and to the public, that “juuling” offers more public health benefit than risk.