Vaping, the inhalation/exhalation of the vapor produced by e-cigarettes or similar devices, has grown increasingly popular among adolescents and young adults in recent years. Currently, one of the most popular vaping products on the market is the JUUL; JUUL is marketed as a “satisfying vapor alternative for adult smokers,” and the company that sells it, JUUL Labs, claims its mission is to “eliminate combustible cigarettes.” Similar to other vapes, JUUL contains nicotine, the same highly addictive drug used in the tobacco products it purportedly helps smokers quit.

James Monsees and Adam Bowen co-founded JUUL Labs and introduced the JUUL in 2015. Former smokers themselves, their goal was to use their product design skills to find a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes.

Although the legal age for use for using e-cigarette products like JUUL is 18 or higher across the nation (it is 21 in New Jersey), many teens illegally obtain and use the device. Concerningly, the CDC found in 2016 that youth were more likely to vape than adults were. Although the small body of research available confirms that vaping is considerably less dangerous than smoking conventional cigarettes, it does pose several health risks; in addition to the aforementioned nicotine in vapes, which can be detrimental to teen brain development, the aerosol present in vapes is harmful to user’s lungs. The long-term effects of vaping are unknown.

Each JUUL pod is 5% nicotine, and in terms of nicotine consumption, one Juul pod is roughly equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes. Although JUUL pods lack the 7,000 harmful chemicals found in combustible cigarettes, they have significantly higher nicotine levels than other e-cig products. Hills Senior Alex Waterman told the Patriot Press that “The JUUL, and vaping in general, are bad for you. As an athlete, I would not advise vaping.”

On its website, JUUL Labs says it is in favor of legislation making 21 the legal e-cigarette usage/purchase age in all 50 states and claims to be against any underage use of its product. However, many have argued that JUUL pod flavors, including mango, creme brulee, and cool mint, are deliberately designed to appeal to adolescents.