and illness is entirely inaccurate, if you ask two lawyers representing the mother of 18-year-old david wakefield who suffered from asthma and died while fighting a two-year addiction to juul labs inc.'s nicotine e-cigarettes," alexis keenan, a yahoo! finance reporter, stated on october 15, 2019. a wrongful death lawsuit, filed on october 15, 2019, in the us district court in northern california, was brought against juul labs. the family states their 18-year-old son died in his sleep in august 2018 as a result of juuling for years. on the night he died, he was not showing any signs of breathing problems, according to his mother. he was a healthy teenager until he started juuling at 15, according to the complaint. in under a year of juuling, the teenager had terrible mood swings and his efforts in school dropped, according to the complaint. the teenager was enticed, the complaint contends, to juul's "candy-like flavors, sleek and discreet design, and its representations that it was a healthier alternative to combustible cigarettes." e-cigarette liquid marketing it is difficult for consumers to know what e-cigarette products contain. for example, some e-cigarettes marketed as containing zero percent nicotine have been found to contain nicotine. a 2010 study indicated that "ends advertised as containing e-cialis did not contain tadalafil (ie, cialis) but contained its analogue amino-tadalafil, and that ends advertised as containing e-rimonabant contained rimonabant and an oxidative impurity of rimonabant. these products contained nicotine, even though they were advertised as containing no nicotine." such products state to contain cialis, for erectile dysfunction, and rimonabant, for weight loss, but the efficacy or safety of containing these ingredients have not evaluated. a 2010 study suggested that e-cigarettes were marketed in 7764 different flavors. the use of marketing terms such as "e-juice" may further mislead consumers into believing that these products are harmless and safe for consumption. e-liquids are often flavored, with thousands of unique flavors advertised. availability of flavors is among the most prominently cited reasons for youth e-cigarette use. popular options, including fruit, candy, and dessert, are particularly appealing to children and youth, more appealing than tobacco-flavors. further, adolescents perceive that e-cigarettes with flavors are less harmful than those with tobacco flavors, creating a potential misperception that e-cigarettes with flavors do not contain nicotine. e-liquid companies have used cartoons to promote their products. many e-liquid companies have used cartoon imagery as part of their logo. this indicates that cartoon imagery is a strong part to their brand identity. leading e-cigarette businesses have used novel marketing techniques such as creating products that resembles the labeling of cookies, juice boxes, and whipped cream. they are marketed in alluring flavors resembling candy, which could cause children to consider ingesting the liquid nicotine. containers for e-liquids (the liquid used in vape products) can seem tempting to children of all ages for many reasons. for example, some e-liquids may have labeling or advertising that misleads youth into thinking the products are things they would eat or drink – like a juice box, piece of candy, or cookie. but these products are not meant for children, the us fda stated in 2018. unicorn-themed e-liquid products e-cigarette advertisements featuring unicorns are used to market a variety of unicorn-themed e-liquids. in e-cigarette advertisements, the e-liquid flows out from the unicorn in the appearance of a rainbow of colors. the marketed unicorn-themed flavors were unicorn milk, unicorn cream, unicorn juice, unicorn magic, unicorn blood, unicorn poop, unicorn piss, unicorn tears, unicorn puke, unicorn vomit, unicorn spew, unicorn breath, unicorn jizz, unicorn porn, unicorn sprinkles, unicorn dust, unicorn cake, unicorn horn, unicorn slayer, unicorn killer, unicorn revenge, unicorn roar, and unicorn clouds. the vapor chef, on their website in 2016, described their unicorn poop e-liquid: "...everyone knows unicorns are made of cupcakes and rainbows! this tastes like blueberry cupcakes with white chocolate frosting and a raspberry on top!" in an interview with the new york times in 2015, a teenager characterized the unicorn puke as "every flavor skittle compressed into one." youth-oriented flavors such as unicorn vomit, is an area of concern. a lot of products are marketed as being sweet, or provide the taste resembling sweetness and could include sweeteners. for instance, 37 e-liquid samples were analyzed and all the samples contained sucrose which widely ranged from 0.76 to 72.93 μg/g. it was unclear the source of the sucrose. sucrose may be toxic because it generates aldehydes when heated at high enough temperatures, is an area of concern. sweet flavors could be more enticing. the flavors considered more sweet were more enticing than non-sweet flavors among young adult frequent e-cigarette users, in a 2016 study. a 2014 policy statement by the uk's faculty of public health has stated, "a key concern for everyone in public health is that children and young people are being targeted by mass advertising of e-cigarettes. there is a danger that e-cigarettes will lead to young people and non-smokers becoming addicted to nicotine and smoking. evidence from the us backs up this concern." e-cigarette marketing approaches at the 2017 world vapor expo held in miami, florida, us in 2017 included providing samples of candy-flavored e-liquids along with actual matching candy samples. a 2018 report stated, "e-cigarette marketing strategies such as those observed at the 2017 world vapor expo echo earlier cigarette promotions infamously used by the tobacco industry to attract consumers, most notably teenagers." as part of ongoing efforts to protect youth from the dangers of nicotine and tobacco products, the us fda and the federal trade commission announced on may 1, 2018, they issued 13 warning letters to manufacturers, distributors, and retailers for selling e-liquids used in e-cigarettes with labeling and/or advertising that cause them to resemble kid-friendly food products, such as juice boxes, candy or cookies, some of them with cartoon-like imagery. some examples of the products outlined in the warning letters, and being sold through multiple online retailers, include: "one mad hit juice box," which resembles children's apple juice boxes, such as tree top-brand juice boxes; "vape heads sour smurf sauce," which resembles war heads candy; and "v'nilla cookies & milk," which resembles nilla wafer and golden oreo cookies. other products include "whip'd strawberry," which resembles reddi-whip dairy whipped topping, and "twirly pop," which not only resembles a unicorn pop lollipop but is shipped with one. "no child should be using any tobacco product, and no tobacco products should be marketed in a way that endangers kids – especially by using imagery that misleads them into thinking the products are things they would eat or drink. looking at these side-to-side comparisons is alarming. it is easy to see how a child could confuse these e-liquid products for something they believe they have consumed before – like a juice box. these are preventable accidents that have the potential to result in serious harm or even death. companies selling these products have a responsibility to ensure they are not putting children in harm's way or enticing youth use, and we'll continue to take action against those who sell tobacco products to youth and market products in this egregious fashion," the us fda commissioner dr. scott gottlieb, said in 2018. the us fda stated in a warning letter to virtue vape, llc on may 10, 2018, that the labeling and/or advertising of the unicorn cakes e-liquid causes it to imitate a food product, particularly one that is marketed toward, and/or appealing to, children. specifically, the labeling and/or advertising of the product uses images and cartoons of pancakes and a strawberry beverage, which are food products that are marketed toward, and/or appealing to, children. for example, the labeling and/or advertising for unicorn cakes e-liquid prominently displays on the front of the product the term "unicorn cakes," and features images of blueberry pancakes and strawberry colored liquid. the labeling and/or advertising also includes cartoon imagery of unicorns eating pancakes in a fanciful landscape, which is substantially similar to graphics/images from my little pony, an entertainment franchise marketed toward, and popular among, children. the use of this cartoon imagery further enhances its appeal to children and increases the likelihood that children will ingest the product as a food. additionally, the website virtue vape describes the product as "n incredible blueberry pancake drenched in strawberry milk." further, unicorn cakes e-liquid has a strong scent like berries and pancakes. this labeling and/or advertising causes the product to imitate breakfast food and cartoon images that are marketed toward, and/or appealing to, children, and is therefore misleading. in may 2018, catalina velasquez of virtue vape stated, "we never did it to connect with children, it was to remind grown-ups of when they were a kid." children are at particular risk for ingesting e-liquid products with labeling and/or advertising that causes the product to imitate a food or beverage, particularly a food or beverage that is typically marketed toward, and/or appealing to, children. moreover, children are at particular risk because exposure to the nicotine in the e-liquid product, even in relatively small amounts, could result in acute toxicity. child poisonings due to the ingestion of liquid nicotine have recently increased substantially. severe harms can occur in small children from ingestion of liquid nicotine, including death from cardiac arrest, as well as seizure, coma, and respiratory arrest. given that the labeling and/or advertising on unicorn cakes e-liquid describes its nicotine content as 3 mg/ml, with a total volume of 120 ml, an accidental ingestion of slightly less than a teaspoon would reach the lower end of the fatal dose range for an average two-year-old. additionally, an accidental ingestion of approximately 3% of a teaspoon would reach the lower end of the non-fatal acute toxicity range for an average two-year-old. the us food and drug administration stated, in a warning letter to omnia e-liquid on may 1, 2018, that the labeling and/or advertising of the e-liquid looks very similar to lollipops that are marketed toward, and/or appealing to, children, such as unicorn pops, whirly pop, and twirl pops lollipops. for example, advertising slogans for the e-liquid included: "your favorite rainbow flavored lollipop!"; "who doesn't love this candy!!??"; "trick or treat!! wouldn't you love this in your bag tonight!?!?"; and "you like this ?? you will love twirly pop." they stated that the twirly pop e-liquid has a strong scent almost identical to unicorn pops lollipops, and that the two products had been sold packaged together. marketing regulation international further information: regulation of electronic cigarettes regulations for e-cigarette advertising vary internationally. for instance, brazil prohibited the selling and advertising of e-cigarettes in 2013, whereas finland regarded them as medical products and prohibited just the advertising in 2013. many countries lack specific regulations for e-cigarette use and e-cigarette advertising. this results in large-scale e-cigarette advertising. in the us and many other countries, e-cigarettes are not subject to the same marketing and promotion restrictions that apply to traditional cigarettes. as a result, e-cigarette businesses are permitted to advertise on television and in mass media as well as through newer channels such as the internet. 48 countries worldwide have implemented regulations for the marketing of e-cigarettes, as of 2017. of those, eight countries have implemented limitations just to nicotine-based e-cigarettes or have controlled them as medicines. a 2014 world health organization survey found 39 countries containing 31% of the population globally have thorough advertising, promotion and sponsorship bans in regard to e-cigarettes, and 19 countries containing 5% of the population globally mandate e-cigarettes to be reviewed before being placed on the market. the sale of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes is prohibited in 13 of the 59 countries that have laws for such products, according to the 2014 world health organization report. most of these 13 countries stated that nicotine-containing e-cigarettes are sold to the general population, which may be through unlawful trade and from sales online from another country. the world health organization report also found 29 countries containing 8% of the population globally have policies on e-cigarette sales to minors. where noted, age requirements for buying varied from 18 to 21 years. some countries do not have formal advertising and promotion restrictions, but maintain that such restrictions are inferred as part of their restrictions on the selling of such products. these include argentina and australia. there are still many unresolved questions with respect to how the selling and marketing of e-cigarettes ought to be