In the past year, juuling has become so popular that is beginning to take over the e-cigarette market and even reaching the audience of teens as young as 15. Now it is almost profound if you haven’t seen or heard of this small flash-drive e-cigarette that has taken over. Although they are probably the biggest trend right now, what even is a Juul? What does it do? “JUUL devices heat up a cartridge containing oils to create vapor, which quickly dissolves into the air. The device is small enough to fit in a closed fist and has a sleek, tech-inspired design that resembles a USB flash drive,” according to Truth Initiative.
What sets it apart from a cigarette is the different flavors that you can get in the form of a pod. Unlike a cigarette that has the harsh smell and taste, a pod comes in the flavors of mint, mango or any fruit flavor. The different flavors help appeal to the younger audience since they have a better taste than a cigarette. It also can be easily charged with any USB which makes it very accessible by charging on your laptop. You must be at least 18 years old to buy one, but that does not stop the younger teens today.
A study from Tobacco Control shows that younger teens are the main age group using a Juul. The study revealed that “15-17-year-olds have over 16 times greater odds to be current JUUL users compared to those aged 25-34.” The numbers will only increase because of how popular it is to Juul.
Although it has become one of the biggest trends, do people actually know what is in a Juul? There are many rumors that it is better than smoking cigarettes or smoking one pod is equivalent to a whole pack of cigarettes.
Peter Zeblisky from Martin Health Physician Group says “nicotine is a highly addictive substance — and each hit of the JUUL packs quite the nicotine punch. The nicotine content is 0.7mL (or 59 mg/mL) per pod, which is approximately equivalent to one pack of cigarettes, or 200 puffs.” Set aside from the high amount of nicotine, it does not have the harmful tar that is in cigarettes. Although it seems safer, the amount of nicotine will cause dependency and will only result in people continuing to Juul or use another nicotine substance.
Another study showed asking over 800 students if they have either used an e-cigarette or a tobacco cigarette in the past month. Results showed that “8.9 percent of students used a vape pen and 4.8 percent of students smoked cigarettes in the last month.” Over the years of the study, an increase of 5.6 percent of students used a vape pen and 3.7 percent smoked cigarettes.
Although Juuls seem safer than cigarettes and other smoking devices, the negative effects weigh more than the positive. From the studies shown, the number of teens that will use Juul sometime in their life is going to increase and will only continue to make smoking a trend.