• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Sunday, December 3, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Globe Post
39 °f
New York
44 ° Fri
46 ° Sat
40 ° Sun
41 ° Mon
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

‘Healthy’ Smoking Alternative Has Turned Into Adolescent Epidemic: Get Rid of the Juul

Corinne Gibson by Corinne Gibson
02/25/19
in Opinion
E-cigarette maker JUUL is taking steps to curb youth appeal, including suspending in-store sales of various flavored products

Amid the rise in youth usage of e-cigarettes in the US, authorities have tightened regulations, with market leader Juul - particularly its flavored products - coming under scrutiny. Photo: AFP

11
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

This summer I found a stack of Juul pods in my 17-year-old brother’s car – and they were empty. After he brushed off my initial questions, I grew more persistent. He finally admitted to me that he had bought a Juul. Able to keep it a secret from my mother due to the sweet, almost odorless smell of the vapor, it had become a habit. My 17-year-old brother had developed a nicotine habit.

Since the Juul has created a younger generation of smokers and because the long-term effects of vaping are virtually unknown, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs to prohibit Juul sales to those under 21. Throughout my months of research on this topic, I’ve seen that the Juul has created this generation using a sleek technology with unknown long-term health impacts.

The Juul phenomenon has struck teenagers especially. In 2016, the Surgeon General stated that roughly 16 percent of high schoolers reported using an e-cigarette within the last 30 days. In the last two years since Juul has been on the market, that percentage has climbed to 20 percent. I find it difficult to believe this is a coincidence.

Tobacco Product Use Among High School Students – 2018
Tobacco product use among high school students in 2018. Infographic: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

While the Juul might be a healthier alternative for adults trying to quit smoking cigarettes, the effects of nicotine products on adolescents are altogether negative. According to a recent study of 12th graders, minors who smoke e-cigarettes are four times more likely to try cigarettes in the future.

Additionally, teens who vape are also more likely to engage in heavy marijuana use later in adolescence according to the Journal of Pediatrics. Why would we continue to let developing minors form nicotine habits that could lead to a dependence on a stronger or illegal substance?

Negative Impacts of E-Cigarettes

Those in favor the Juul argue that the chemical makeup of the e-cigarette fluid is much less harmful than the tobacco found in cigarettes. What these people don’t know however is that one “pod” of Juul fluid contains the same amount of nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes. One recent medical study found that exposure of lung cells to e-cigarette vapor produces effects similar to chronic lung disease. This finding does not paint a pretty picture of the detrimental long-term effects e-cigarette products could have on our children’s health. The Juul technology is less than five years old, and we are naively allowing it in the hands of kids like my brother.

Today, Juul has been under investigation by the FDA for marketing towards youth. The FDA gave Juul 60 days to prove they could keep their products away from minors. While the FDA has decided to ban the sale of Juuls in most convenience stores, this is not enough.

We all need to pledge to keep our youth nicotine free. I pledge as Surgeon General to use my bullypulpit to protect our children from a lifetime of nicotine addiction & associated health risks by immediately addressing the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use #NoEcigs4Kids #SGPledge pic.twitter.com/3K3y8vKWj2

— U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) December 18, 2018

Critics of the FDA investigation would argue that completely banning the Juul would cause adults to return to the more harmful cigarette-smoking. While I disagree with the Juul company, I do not think their products should be completely banned. The most realistic (but so far, undiscussed) solution to this issue would be for the FDA to restrict all Juul purchases to those younger than 21.

With the general smoking age in being 18, it’s laughably easy for my brother to ask an older friend to buy him Juul pods. There is no reason that this “cigarette alternative” should be available to 18-year-olds, who aren’t even old enough to have developed a cigarette addiction in the first place.

The FDA needs to use its power to restrict the access kids have to the Juul, halting teen-smoking in its tracks before it turns into a decades-long public health crisis.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Globe Post.
Share11Tweet
Corinne Gibson

Corinne Gibson

Junior pre-medical student at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas

Related Posts

Afghan refugees
Opinion

The Blessed and Cursed Randomness of Our Lives

by Stephen J. Lyons
October 25, 2023
A woman reacts as people gather at the site of the Ahli Arab hospital in central Gaza on October 18, 2023 in the aftermath of an overnight blast there
Middle East

US Says Israel ‘Not Responsible’ for Hospital Strike

by Staff Writer
October 19, 2023
Health care workers in Richmond, Texas. Photo: AFP
National

US Healthcare Industry Top Target of Cyber Attacks: Report

by Rojoef Manuel
September 29, 2023
Joe Biden
Opinion

The ‘Polycrisis’ Challenge: Biden’s Vision for Global Problem-Solving

by Greg Granger
September 26, 2023
US Authorities Seize Artworks Allegedly Stolen by Nazis
Art

US Authorities Seize Artworks Allegedly Stolen by Nazis

by Staff Writer
September 19, 2023
Pro-Trump protester in front of Capitol Hill.
Opinion

The Ominous (and Irresponsible) Chatter of a Civil War 

by Stephen J. Lyons
September 4, 2023
Next Post
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018

Ahead of Trump-Kim Summit, Red Cross Warns of Food Shortage in North Korea

Protester holding up the flag from Venezuela

US Seeks Urgent UN Security Council Meeting on Venezuela

Recommended

Dutch politician Geert Wilders

Xenophobia in the Netherlands? Unpacking the PVV’s Surprising Success

November 28, 2023
Ukraine war

NATO Chief Says ‘No Alternative’ to Helping Ukraine Stop Putin

November 27, 2023
Migrants stranded at the Finland border

Russia Warns of a ‘Crisis’ at Arctic Border With Finland

November 22, 2023
People march against climate change in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on October 13, 2018.

Earth to Warm Up to 2.9C Even With Current Climate Pledges: UN

November 20, 2023
A woman in Singapore checks her mobile

Singapore and Indonesia Launch Cross-Border QR-Code Payments

November 17, 2023
This illustration picture shows the AI (Artificial Intelligence) smartphone app ChatGPT surrounded by other AI Apps in Vaasa, on June 6, 2023

AI Images of White Faces Are Now ‘Hyper-Real’: Study

November 13, 2023

Opinion

Dutch politician Geert Wilders

Xenophobia in the Netherlands? Unpacking the PVV’s Surprising Success

November 28, 2023
Afghan refugees

The Blessed and Cursed Randomness of Our Lives

October 25, 2023
Joe Biden

The ‘Polycrisis’ Challenge: Biden’s Vision for Global Problem-Solving

September 26, 2023
Pro-Trump protester in front of Capitol Hill.

The Ominous (and Irresponsible) Chatter of a Civil War 

September 4, 2023
A bamboo-based design raises family homes safely above water levels to cope with raising water levels in Bangladesh.

The West Owes Climate Refugees Reparations Now

August 14, 2023
President Donald Trump in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House.

Boxing Day Comes to South Florida

July 5, 2023
Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Do you like our reporting?
SUBSCRIBE

About Us

The Globe Post

The Globe Post is part of Globe Post Media, a U.S. digital news organization that is publishing the world's best targeted news sites.

submit oped

© 2018 The Globe Post

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • World
  • Business
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Democracy at Risk
    • Media Freedom
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Columns
    • Book Reviews
    • Stage
  • Submit Op-ed

© 2018 The Globe Post