Surgeon General’s report confirms youth should not use e-cigarettes

By: Melody Rabor-Dizon

 

My 14 year old daughter, Jassie came up to me and started conversation about JUUL. She stated, Mom so many of my classmates are using JUUL. I looked at her intently why this bothered her when she uses big hooped earrings, and bracelets for fashion as a ‘JEWEL”. I was sooo totally out of the loop when JUUL for me meant necklaces, dangling earrings and JUUL to her is about nictone in USB drive. My age!

Allow me readers to inform you a bit about this new trend teens are hooked on to.

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 e-netizens to call it “the most widespread phenomenon you’ve likely never heard of.”But this may be putting a new generation of youth at risk of nicotine dependence.

What is a JUUL device? JUUL uses an intelligent heating mechanism that creates an aerosol and is engineered to minimize combustion. JUUL is a closed system vapor product and is not designed to be refillable. JUUL is rechargeable via a USB port.

What is a JUULpod? A JUULpod is the cartridge that clicks into the top of the JUUL device. JUULpods contain a proprietary salt-based nicotine e-liquid formula, which is mixed under strict quality-controlled processes, and is intended to help satisfy smokers when transitioning from cigarettes.

What is an e-liquid? An e-liquid is the fluid used in vapor products to create the actual vapor.

What is vapor? Vapor is the aerosol that is generated when an e-liquid is heated.

JUULpods contain the following: Propylene Glycol and Glycerine (30/60 mix) (up to 90%)

Propylene glycol and glycerine are clear liquids that are used to create a visible vapor, and are commonly used by the medical, beauty and food industries. A majority, if not all e-liquids, contain propylene glycol (PG).

Nicotine

Nicotine is a stimulant that comes from the tobacco plant. We use highly purified/USP grade/pharmaceutical grade nicotine.

Benzoic Acid

Benzoic acid is a naturally occurring ingredient, found in tobacco and other substances. When combined with nicotine as part of our nicotine salts formulation, it helps provide cigarette-like satisfaction.

Flavor

JUUL flavors consist of both naturally occurring and artificial flavor ingredients which provide the specific taste profile for each flavor.

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.

Is JUUL safer than smoking cigarettes?

While e-cigarettes are less toxic than combustible tobacco products — still the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the country — there is a catch. Using e-cigarettes has been shown to increase the likelihood of smoking cigarettes among young people.

CigarettesYouth/Young Adults

The Surgeon General’s report on e-cigarettes confirms the indisputable fact that youth should not be using nicotine or tobacco in any form. The Nation’s Doctor is now on record emphasizing the importance of keeping e-cigarettes away from young people, while outlining imperative calls to action as it relates to health risks, regulation and youth targeted marketing tactics.

Scientists, product designers and engineers believe that vaping can have a positive impact when used by smokers, and can have a negative impact when used by nonsmokers. The goal is to maximize the positive and reduce the negative. These alternatives contain nicotine, which has not been shown to cause cancer but can create dependency. We believe that these alternatives are not appropriate for people who do not already smoke. E-cigarettes are substantially less harmful than combustible cigarettes and smokers who can’t otherwise quit with an FDA-approved nicotine replacement product, could switch completely to e-cigarettes as a means to stop smoking altogether.

Long-Term Effects & Product Research

Since e-cigarettes have only been commercially available for a few years, just like any other vapor product, there are some things we don’t know about JUUL simply because it has only been on the market since 2015.

MY THOUGHTS:

I am a firm believer to do things in moderation. When one gets addicted to something, it becomes bad. Addiction is defined as the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma. Any addiction is never good. To start something to which there is a high potential on dependence or addiction puts health at risk- especially to teenagers who are not even smoking yet. They are lulled into this flavored vaping and “the coolness of vaping”. I don’t doubt it raises a lot of curiosity to our youths but there has to be a regulation who can purchase this product. As it is, people can get this from vending machine. People- let’s take care of our youth. Advancement in medicine with technology may mean it is good but not necessarily better if it also becomes a detriment to our healthgive it few years and people will sing a different tune again. To our youthdo take care of your body. My elderly patients tell me, when you get to my age, it’s payback time. However you served your body during your early years will come back with a vengeance on an otherwise frail old body and you would be too weak to fight it, as my patient struggles to speak in between breaths with his oxygen mask on. Yes, that’s what smoking did to me, all of my healthy 40 years