Back to School: Beware of the JUUL

If last year’s fidget spinners were all fun and games, this year, the national attraction is rather different: JUUL, an e-cigarette device that has become so synonymous with vaping and accepted by the masses, that the term “juul-ing” has been coined.

Unlike the past forms of bulky e-cigarettes, JUUL proposes a completely different design: a small, USB-like device that comes in a variety of colors, skins and flavors. Its convenience has won over the e-cigarette industry, now claiming about 70-percent of the market share, according to a study by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Juul Labs says that the device is designed to help adult smokers transition out of their cigarette addiction, but if you think that JUUL devices won’t reach the hands of the youth, that’s a grave mistake.

An estimated 11.7-percent of high school students and 3.3-percent of middle school students were e-cigarette users in 2017, according to the National Youth Tobacco Survey.

That’s more than 2.1 million youth.

The stats are seemingly increasing over time. According to a 2018 study by the Truth Initiative, nearly one-fifth of youth, ranging from 12- to 17-year-old, reported that they had seen the use of JUUL in their schools.

There are several concerns: For one, while JUUL pods contain nicotine. The greater issue, perhaps, is the lack of awareness on the issue. A study from Truth Initivative found that 63-percent of 15-to-24-year-old JUUL users did not know that JUUL always contains nicotine.

Nicotine, according to the Surgeon General’s report, “poses dangers to youth, pregnant women, and fetuses. The use of products containing nicotine in any form among youth, including in e-cigarettes, is unsafe.”

JUUL has been a particular subject within Massachusetts, where the State Attorney General Maura Healey launched investigations into Juul Labs for failing to prevent minors form purchasing its products.

“We welcome the opportunity to work with the Massachusetts Attorney General because, we too, are committed to preventing underage use of JUUL,” said Juul spokesman Matt David in a past statement. “… Furthermore, we have never marketed to anyone underage.”