In the recent years, electronic cigarettes have been on the rise as one of the trends of the market. The brand JUUL in particular is a well-known brand of e-cigarette, especially in the city of Berkeley where one can see individuals utilizing the little devices everywhere. Advertised as a smoking alternative, JUULs contain five ingredients: glycerol, propylene glycol, nicotine, benzoic acid, and food flavoring.
Nicotine is the main addictive ingredient that JUULs contain. Although this product is primarily advertised as a method of decreasing addiction to cigarettes, there are currently debates on the safety of e-cigarettes with studies showing that JUULs may be a gateway drug for the youth following the fad.
In the research conducted by JAMA Pediatrics, there was a longitudinal study with a cohort of 694 participants between 16-26 years. The results indicated that use of e-cigarettes at a baseline was associated with the progression to traditional cigarette smoking. Individuals who could not rule out smoking in the future were defined as susceptible individuals. According to JAMA, there should be a limitation in advertisement and sales of JUUL products and similar products that target youth consumption.
Recently, in late December, news was released that Altria, a large nicotine company decided to fund JUUL with $2 billion dollars. Given that there are around 1,500 individuals as employees at JUUL, there is predicted to be increases in bonuses for the employees. Either way, it seems that JUULs will be here to stay as both a company and a product.
Despite the fact that this fad may take a while to phase out, it is essential that you take responsibility in whatever you choose to engage in by researching the potential risks that any products like this may have. Given that we are at an age where all of us can make decisions for ourselves, we absolutely need to understand the repercussions of our choices in reference to our personal values instead of jumping on whichever bandwagons roll our way.