What is a Juul?

What is a Juul?

You are probably familiar with cigarettes and tobacco dip. It’s been around for a quite a while. You might have even recently heard of electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes, but do you know what JUUL is? No fret, I hadn’t heard of JUUL or how widespread it was until a couple of weeks ago.  

Let’s go over the facts.
Here’s what you need to know about JUUL.
JUUL is an e-cigarette brand that closely resembles a flash drive. In fact, one can easily charge JUUL by plugging it into the computer. It is super slim, making it easy store in one’s pocket and has sleek appearance. It comes with different flavors as opposed to  other tobacco products, like cigarettes.
According to TIME.com, JUUL manufacturers claim that its target audience are current cigarette smokers. They hope to convert them to JUUL, which they say is much safer.  However, researchers have found that JUUL contains the equivalent amount of nicotine as a pack of cigarettes.

Juul has a reputation of not being dangerous. It doesn’t have all the extra chemicals as a cigarette. However, JUUL is dangerous. Maybe not as dangerous as your typical tobacco products. However, for a non smoker wanting to try this out. It’s not safe and it can eventually convert someone from using JUUL to using cigarettes or other tobacco products.
Here’s an expert from healthychildren.org on why everyone (including you) should be concerned:

  • JUUL comes in flavors that appeal to kids. JUUL “juice” pods come in mango, cool mint, fruit medley, and other flavors. For years, tobacco companies have used candy-like flavors to attract young people. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) research, middle and high school students say that flavor is a big reason they use e-cigarettes.The Master Settlement Agreement prohibits cigarette manufacturers from targeting youth. This includes using flavors that typically attract kids. Since the Master Settlement Agreement only covers tobacco products, it does not cover e-cigarettes. It doesn’t prohibit e-cigarettes from being sold in a variety of flavors because it isn’t a tobacco product.
  • JUUL is highly addictive. The concentration of nicotine in JUUL is more than twice the amount found in other e-cigarettes. Nicotine is the chemical that causes addiction. These high amounts are a serious concern for youth, who are already more likely than adults to become addicted to nicotine. The chance of addiction is so high that the U.S. Surgeon General warned that the use of nicotine by youth in any form is unsafe.
  • JUULing raises the risk of becoming a regular cigarette smoker. Research shows that young people who use e-cigarettes are more likely to begin using traditional tobacco cigarettes.
  • JUUL use is common in schools and college campuses. Teachers report that students are using JUULs in classrooms, hallways, and school restrooms. They also share the devices with friends. This kind of social use encourages youth who don’t smoke to try JUULing. It also lets students who are too young to buy JUUL legally, or who could not otherwise afford them, use them through classmates.

For more information about JUUL and JUULing, check out drugfree.org

Resources:

TIME: What is JUULing?

Healthy Children: JUUL, Get the Facts

Public Health Law Center: Master Settlement Agreement

Drug Free: The Vaping Trend & What Parents Need to Know

 

About the Author: Mariah Edwards

Mariah is an intern at Suwannee River AHEC. She currently finishing her bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Florida.

 

By |2018-07-05T17:03:46-04:00July 5th, 2018|Categories: Education, Tobacco Cessation|5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. Mike Kelley July 19, 2018 at 8:23 pm

    I like your review. I hope you do a report on IQOS, also.

  2. Robert Velasquez December 20, 2018 at 6:25 pm

    Question, if a Juul has more nicotine than a regular cigarette, why would someone start on Juul then go to cigarettes?

    Second question, is Juul safer than traditional cigarettes or not?

  3. Anonymous December 21, 2018 at 12:42 am

    I just used one today it was my friends it was my first time I didn’t like it and I don’t think I will do it again. But your article says that you are most likely to continue. I am in 7 the grade and just want to let kids know that my grandfather died from the cause of smoking.

  4. SRAHEC January 11, 2019 at 5:53 pm

    Hello and thank you for your comment! We understand the pressures our peers can place on us, especially in middle – high school. We are so happy you are taking a stand against Juuling and encourage you to always stand up for your beliefs! We want to assure you that trying Juul once does not mean you have to continue using it (or become a regular user), that all depends on YOUR choices. However, JUUL is highly addictive, which is why we discourage the use of Juul altogether. The concentration of nicotine in JUUL is more than twice the amount found in other e-cigarettes. Nicotine is the chemical that causes addiction. We encourage you to spread your positive message of standing up against Juuling, since this is a cause close to your family. Have a wonderful day!

  5. SRAHEC January 14, 2019 at 8:18 pm

    Hello! Thank you for taking the time to comment and ask your questions! Here are our answers:

    1. The high nicotine concentration in JUUL makes it very easy to become addicted. When a person who is addicted can’t get nicotine from their usual source, they are likely to turn to alternatives. So if you leave your JUUL at home, you’re more likely to start bumming cigarettes from a friend.

    2. We don’t know enough about JUUL or any other electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) to know how safe they are (or aren’t). The FDA is beginning to regulate these products, but it will be a long time before we understand what’s in them and what that means for people who use them. We know they contain propylene glycol, which causes popcorn lung, and many flavors are made with carcinogens.

    We hope these answered your questions! Thanks again and have a wonderful day!

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