About two years ago,
Juuling was introduced to the public. People thought it was an excellent
technological device yet brought nothing but harm to the human body. Juuls are
apparently one of many ways to help adults reduce their smoking but are being
used by teens everywhere, from school grounds to the public. Even young teens
are seen using these devices on social media, but if they only knew what damage
they bring upon people’s lives. Teens believe it's cool and comfortable to
utilize them; however, they aren’t cool at all. In the article “Juuls Pack Same
Nicotine Punch as Cigarettes.” They state “These devices have what is called
Juul pods containing nicotine equivalent to a pack of traditional cigarettes” (
Juuls Pack Same Nicotine Punch as Cigarettes 1) — informing the audience on the
tremendous nicotine these JUULS contain. Believe it or not, juuls are used by
millions and are now considered a social epidemic.
This social epidemic is spreading like
wildfire. In fact the company Juuls has now raised there age purchasing limit
to twenty-one years of age due to thousands of young adults purchasing these
devises in Juuls age verification page they announce “As of January 2019, we
have implemented all of the online age verification enhancements we outlined in
our plan to ensure no one under the age of 21 can buy any JUUL products on our
website, regardless of flavor, while preventing bulk purchases to all
customers.” (Updates To JUUL.com’s Online Age
Verification System 1). However, that still leaves
millions of youth with these nicotine sticks. So many young adults from middle
school to high school are using these horrific devices, in the article “Too
many teens are using Juuls, according to the FDA” Weissman informs on the
number of teens Juuling, “The FDA says more than 2 million middle and high
schoolers regularly use these devices.” (Weissman 1). This is such a huge deal
due to the fact that these teens that are being harmed are our country’s
future.
What lies ahead of this world is up to the
minds of the younger generation, but Juuls are harming our world's future.
Hurting in a way that little problems can turn into critical health issues.
Shatrowsky explains to his readers that “Short-term side-effects of vaping
include mouth dryness, dizziness, cough, dry eyes, increased airway resistance,
chest pain, nosebleeds, vomiting, nausea, increased blood pressure, and
increased heart rate. However, if the use of nicotine is sustained, its
short-lived effects can develop into serious complications”(Shatrowsky 1).
Nicotine is detrimental to health and even worse to such young minds that are
still growing. The University of New York
ran some experiments on juuls explained by
“The negative effect of Juuling” an article of some test ran on
experimental rats. “The growing popularity of Juuls and other vaping devices
have struck a chord with the FDA, who are still in the process of approving
them. An experiment conducted through New York University exposed rats to
nicotine vapor for 12 weeks, mimicking the average teenager Juul usage. The
exposure resulted in severe damage to their DNA, causing their cells to become
unable to repair themselves. These effects drastically increase the risk of
cancer and heart disease. Suddenly, researchers have panicked and are trying to
reduce its underage usage.” Our country’s goal is to improvise and grow but let
companies like Juul harm people mentally, physically, and economically.
In the article “Teenagers Embrace JUUL, Saying It's
Discreet Enough To Vape In Class” Angus Chen explains how easy it is to take a
hit and put it away without anyone noticing
“Mil Schooley, an 18-year-old student in Denver says most of her friends
have a JUUL — an e-cigarette that can vanish into a closed fist. When asked
roughly how many, she stumbles a bit. "I wanna say like 50 or 60 percent?
I don't know. Maybe it's just the people I know. All my friends in college have
one," she says. "It just blew up over the summer." One reason
JUUL and vape pens are so popular among teens currently might be that they can
be used indoors without attracting unwanted attention or creating a stench,
Morean says. On Twitter, teens post about their usage in school. The most
brazen of them fire up their e-cigarettes while their teachers' backs are
turned”(Chen 1). Showing not only how easy it is to use but also how widespread
they are. In the quote Mil Schooley, an 18-year-old student in Denver says most
of her friends have a JUUL — an e-cigarette that can vanish into a closed fist.
When asked roughly how many, she stumbles a bit. "I wanna say like 50 or
60 percent? I don't know. Maybe it's just the people I know. All my friends in
college have one," she says. "It just blew up over the summer." (Chen
1). She explains how fifty to sixty percent of her friend use these devices
from one summer imagine how many will be using them over a more extended
period. Juuls
are so popular and common even nonsmoking adults know about them, bringing them
to the attention they are now a worldwide epidemic, and they aren’t slowing
down, but with the
right help, we
can put an end to this horrific outbreak. Juul Epidemic
Juuls are a globally known product that cause devastation
to lives of users from young kids to adults. The Tabaco product is damaging to
the human body rapidly little by little. People need to be aware of this social
epidemic because of the various negative effects the nicotine stick brings upon
the world today and tomorrow. Juuls should be banned and terminated in order to
help the ones who have fallen a victim too. One way of helping is to push the
creation of a law that either eliminates Juuls or implements stricter
restrictions on these devices. As a community we can introduce a specific type
of rehab to compensate for the harm they have brought upon users.
According to The Truth Initiative, the epidemic came
about around December of 2017 after about a 641% sales increase. The nicotine
stick is sold primarily in gas stations in urban areas giving the youth an
increased chance to get their hands on these harmful devices. The Truth
Initiative also mentioned that the sales “likely reflect products obtained
directly or indirectly by youth,” letting the public know that the sales “may
be underestimated.” One of the most shocking statistics was when surveying over
1000 people 18 and older, 74 percent of them have obtained the product at a
store, while 52% of the young adults got in the form of a gift from a friend or
family member. It is mind boggling that people would gift what people nickname
cancer sticks in an electric form to someone they claim to love and care for.
The juul marketing campaigns are absolutely disgusting.
In their earliest ads in 2015, they reveal teens dancing in large crowds with
bright colors and happy faces, however it fails to include the detrimental
effects caused by the destructive social product. Unfortunately the Tabaco
Company is one of the largest industries in the world. According to The Tabaco Atlas, the Tabaco Company’s
net worth is around a half a trillion dollars worldwide. Their net worth
surpasses those of Coca-Cola, McDonalds, and Microsoft combined. The fact that
this disturbingly successful industry has such a tremendous profit, means that
lawsuits from people who turn out having major life-threatening health issues
stand no chance in even putting a dent into the company’s fortress they have
built. There have only been a few exceptions to this stigma. In 1984, the
husband of deceased Rose Cipollone sued the Liggett Group because their lack of
health risks labeled on the cigarette package. Because Mrs. Cipollone passed
from lung cancer after 42 years of smoking, it was no question that she had
died from the deadly effects of the cigarettes provided by The Liggett Group.
Nowadays, every Tabaco product has a warning label in plain sight, usually in
bold red letters. This is solely for legal reasons. These massive industries do
not care about the well beings of their customers, their end goal is to make
the most money and ensure that they cross al their “T’s” and dot their “I’s”
along their destructive paths. Since this change in their packaging, they have
made their lawsuits more solid than ever. The only loophole now, is if you are
suffering from second-hand smoke and are having medical side effects. If there
are no health issues prevalent, then there will be no lawsuit possible,
therefore adding another layer of protection to this already impenetrable
palace.
As
mentioned previously, the most at risk users are sadly teens. This is because
of the enormous following on twitter and Instagram where they post ads to the
masses of young adults upon the social media sites. Twitter and Instagram have
brought in most of their sales because of its popularity online it has become
an epidemic disguised as a fad, to own one of these devious devices. Another
one of their ever-so-successful marketing techniques is its unique flavor
options such as crème-Brule, mint, mango, and even “Virginia Tabaco,” which to
me makes me sick of what that would even taste like because thinking everyone
can agree that it definitely doesn’t smell all that delicious.
As
someone who has many friends that utilize this cigarette replacement, I don’t
think they realize the danger they are putting themselves in. People forget
that this still contains the worst part of cigarettes, nicotine. The juul
company was genius in this design, they made it appear exactly opposite of what
every cigarette does. It is sleek, updated, reusable, and electronically
intriguing for an affordable price. In many ways my generation is the same that
of the 70’s, where it was common to see underage individuals puffing on smoke
and no one thinks twice about their damage. Only now, we know the effects
because we’ve seen it before, but somehow people still turn a blind eye. This
era is worse. We give too much freedom of exploration and choices without any
consequences because we call it “living our life to the fullest,” or even
worse, the infamous and cringe “YOLO.”
As
an absurdist, Albert Camus I think is one of the people that would live by a
“live your best life” type of life. He believes in finding the meaning in
meaningless chaotic situations. Although agreed, with the idea that if they
choose to do this disgusting thing to their body than it is their decision and
it’s not hurting me any. However, Camus would have been cheering them on to be
the most individual of a human they can be and if they want to smoke until
their lungs die than right on, good for them. He would have been the friend
that gave such a gift because of his opposing beliefs from mine and many
others.
A
specific rehab and removal of these products in areas where high school and
middle school are located would be the most beneficial and successful way of
getting them out of the hands of the notoriously impressionable youth. Also 18
Is too young of an age to be allowed to have such a product, although it
doesn’t cause any mind altering states. It can cause life altering illnesses.
If we raised the age to 21 much like the drinking age, then it’ll cut back on
the fact that 16 year olds can easily get their hands on, what is basically a
cigarette. There is never one obvious solution to problems of this capacity
unless we as a community fought to abolish this products. Kids will always be
kids and do the exact opposite of what they are told to do. But an effort is
definitely way overdue. We can only hope that this trend is at its peak and
people will begin to realize its effects sooner rather than later.
Works
Cited.
Akhbari, Kourosh. “Who Can Sue
Tobacco Companies.” LegalMatch Law Library, 24 July 2018, www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/who-can-sue-tobacco-companies.html.
American Cancer Society. “Tobacco
Industry Profits Estimated $35 Billion With Almost 6 Million Annual Deaths.”
Maurer Foundation, 19 Sept. 2014, www.maurerfoundation.org/tobacco-industry-profits-estimated-35-billion-with-almost-6-million-annual-deaths/.
Brodwin, Erin. “$15 Billion Startup
Juul Used 'Relaxation, Freedom, and Sex Appeal' to Market Its
Creme-Brulee-Flavored e-Cigs on Twitter and Instagram - but Its Success Has
Come at a Big Cost.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 26 Oct. 2018, www.businessinsider.com/juul-e-cig-marketing-youtube-twitter-instagram-social-media-advertising-study-2018-10.
“Growing.” Lifespan,
www.lifespan.org/lifespan-living/juuling-what-it-and-what-you-should-know.
Juul and Youth:Rising Ecig
Popularity.” Tabaco Free Kids,
www.tobaccofreekids.org/assets/factsheets/0394.pdf.
“The Tobacco Cases.” The American
Museum of Tort Law, 29 May 2018, www.tortmuseum.org/the-tobacco-cases/.
Truth Initiative. “How Much Nicotine
Is in JUUL?” Truth Initiative, Truth Initiative, 26 Feb. 2019,
truthinitiative.org/news/how-much-nicotine-juul.
Truth Initiative. “JUUL e-Cigarette
Sales Increase More than 600% in One Year.” Truth Initiative, Truth Initiative,
16 Oct. 2018,
truthinitiative.org/news/juul-sales-increase-more-600-year-underscoring-popularity-among-teens.
staff, Science X. “Juuls Pack Same Nicotine Punch as
Cigarettes.” Medical Xpress – Medical
Research Advances and Health News, Medical Xpress, 11 Sept. 2018,
medicalxpress.com/news/2018-09-juuls-nicotine-cigarettes.html.
| January 22, 2019, et al. “Updates To JUUL.com's
Online Age Verification System.” JUUL
Newsroom,
newsroom.juul.com/2019/01/22/updates-to-juul-coms-online-age-
verification-system/.
Weissman, Cale Guthrie, and Cale Guthrie Weissman.
“Too Many Teens Are Using Juuls,
According
to the FDA.” Fast Company, Fast Company, 12 Sept. 2018,
www.fastcompany.com/90235756/too-many-teens-are-using-juuls-according-to-the-fda.
ShatrowskyChristine, Christine. “How JUULing Affects
The Body.” Lune Magazine, 1 Sept.
2018,
www.lunemagazine.com/2018/08/21/how-juuling-affects-the-body/.
Shatrowsky
Binetti, Elizabeth. “The Negative Effects of Juuling.”
Cardinal Chronicle,
westwoodcardinalchronicle.com/news/2018/03/16/the-negative-effects-of-juuling/.
Chen, Angus. “Teenagers Embrace JUUL, Saying It's
Discreet Enough To Vape In Class.” NPR,
NPR, 4 Dec. 2017, www.npr.org/sections/health-
shots/2017/12/04/568273801/teenagers-embrace-juul-saying-its-discreet-enough-
to-vape-in-class.
No comments:
Post a Comment