2 October 2018
Scribe staff
Since their launch in 2015, JUUL e-cigarettes have become increasingly popular in society and media due to their accessibility, trendiness, size and addicting quality. In fact, JUULs have become so popular among young people that they account for nearly half of e-cigarette sales, as reported by Truth Initiative.
There are teens that are already addicted to nicotine due to the popularity of JUULs in the younger generations, and even more popular in college age people.
Although many individuals believe that JUULs are the healthier alternative to cigarettes, this isn’t the case.
In an interview with Shape magazine, Dr. Jonathan Philip Winickoff said that JUULs are “not just harmless water vapor and flavor.”
“Not only is it made with N-Nitrosonornicotine, a dangerous Group I carcinogen (and the most carcinogenic substance we know of), you’re also inhaling Acrylonitrile, which is a highly poisonous compound used in plastics and adhesives and synthetic rubbers,” said Winickoff.
Research also shows that e-cigarettes, like JUULs, are just as addictive as cigarettes and according to Truth Initiative, Juuls “make youth more likely to use regular cigarettes and still contain toxins and the addictive chemical nicotine, which is harmful to adolescent brain development.”
According to NBC News “One Juul ‘pod,’ the nicotine cartridge inserted into the smoking device and heated, delivers about 200 puffs, about as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes, according to the product website.”
According to an article by the University of Missouri School of Medicine where smoking trends in college students were evaluated, they found that most life-long smokers developed the habit before the age of 24.
Due to their addictive quality and popularity with students, many schools across the country have been cracking down on the use of JUULs on campuses.
NBC News reports that “[In order ] to combat the spread of the devices, some schools have banned flash drives as well, to avoid any confusion between the items. Yorktown High even removed the main entrance doors from student bathrooms at the beginning of the school year to dissuade students from vaping inside.”
American government agencies are also so concerned about the health risks that come with JUULs that the head of the US Food and Drug Administration is requiring manufacturing brands to create a strategy for how they will keep JUULs away from young adults in the next two months, according to CNN.
CNN also reported that the “FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb warned the FDA might require companies to change their sales and marketing practices; stop distributing products to retailers who sell to kids; and remove flavored e-cigarette products from the market.”
Although the actions followed by the concerns seem to be a bit extreme, they do a good job at magnifying the dangers of e-cigarettes.
The real issue is that such young people are getting a hold of JUULs, and are able to hide them from their parents and schools. Since JUULs look like flash drives and can easily fit in the palm of a hand, it is hard to tell if someone has one.
JUULs haven’t been around long enough to know their effects, which is the terrifying reality; these could potentially be more harmful than cigarettes.
Before you get addicted to nicotine from JUULing, educate yourself on the harmful effects of these e-cigarettes.