Parents, you may not be familiar with the new trend among teens known as JUULing. JUULs are a version of an e-cigarette popular with adolescents. We encourage you to please take a few minutes to read the information below and review the youtube news video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZohUjJaUTJ0
https://truthinitiative.org/news/what-is-juul
In just two years on the market, JUUL, a new type of e-cigarette, has become so popular among young people that it has already amassed nearly half of the e-cigarette market share. The product’s quick rise in popularity prompted The Boston Globe to call it “the most widespread phenomenon you’ve likely never heard of.” Here are some important things to know about JUUL, which may be putting a new generation of youth at risk of nicotine dependence.
How does JUUL work?
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. While its manufacturer says that JUUL is only for adults, it comes in flavors — including mint, mango and crème brulee — which are proven to appeal to young people and facilitate initiation of tobacco product use.
There’s also a whole JUULing culture online:
Students share YouTube videos of how to hollow out highlighters to conceal the compact devices, and how to slide them up shirt sleeves. And some companies now market specially designed apparel that allow for the use their device while it is concealed in the drawstring of a hoodie or the strap of a backpack.
Does JUUL have nicotine?
Yes. In fact, a SINGLE JUUL cartridge is roughly equal to a pack of cigarettes, or 200 cigarette puffs, according to the product website. Nicotine is an addictive chemical, and evidence suggests that nicotine use during adolescence and young adulthood has long-term impacts on brain development. Many young people, however, do not realize that they are inhaling nicotine when they vape or use e-cigarettes. The majority of youth e-cigarette users think that the last time they used a product they vaped only flavoring, not nicotine, according to the University of Michigan’s 2016 Monitoring the Future study.
We encourage parents to learn more about JUULing and to talk to their teens.