The office of Oregon Attorney General John Kroger announced earlier this month it had reached an agreement with Florida-based Smoking Everywhere, Inc. and its president, Elico Taieb, prohibiting the sale and distribution of its electronic cigarettes in Oregon.

According to a statement from Kroger's office, Smoking Everywhere marketed e-cigarettes as a safe alternative to traditional tobacco products but did not seek FDA approval prior to releasing its e-cigarettes for distribution.

The Stipulated General Judgment with Smoking Everywhere includes an express admission by the company that it violated Oregon's Unlawful Trade Practices Act and requires the company to pay more than $95,000 to the Department of Justice. Smoking Everywhere is permanently barred from doing business in the state. Taieb will pay $25,000 and is prohibited from transacting any business in Oregon related to electronic cigarettes, tobacco products, nicotine delivery devices, drugs or drug delivery devices of any kind. The payments by Smoking Everywhere and Taieb cover all costs incurred by Oregon in this litigation.

Oregon says it is the first state to successfully take action against distributors of electronic cigarettes. The attorney general previously stopped two national travel store chains from selling e-cigarettes in Oregon and reached an agreement with another e-cigarette company, Sottera, Inc., the national distributor of NJOY, which prohibits it from doing business in Oregon until local and national standards are met.

"This settlement will help protect our teens from unsafe products," said Kroger in the statement.

Read the entire statement here.