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Is the JUUL just a trend amongst younger people or a new way of life?

Are we the generation to end smoking cigarettes? According to CDC.gov, a new trend has started around the United States that is taking the place of cigarettes among young teenagers to college students.

A new electronic cigarette, a JUUL, has started making its way into schools and they actually contain the same amount of nicotine as two packs of cigarettes. According to  CDC.gov, the usage of electronic cigarettes have increased from 2011 to 2017, going from 0.6 percent to 3.3 percent in middle school students and from 1.5 percent to 11.5 percent in high school students. Ultimately, leaving adults questioning if the JUUL is just a trend or something that will stay.

Grand View freshman Brandon Van Meter said he bought his first JUUL in March of 2018 and stated that he wasn’t aware of how much nicotine the JUULs could hold.

“The only negative effect I’ve noticed from using a JUUL is that it weakens my conditioning if I don’t work out on a daily basis,” Van Meter said. “I don’t see myself doing it later on though. I feel like it’s just a phase.”

Van Meter said the phase will be gone soon, as with all the issues the product has caused for schools and families. He said they will find a way to get rid of the product all together in the near future.

In contrast, Grand View sophomores Taylor Meador and Blaze Kahikina said that they were aware of the health facts regarding JUULs and that is what steered them away from using JUULs. They also said that the flavors that the JUULs come with is what attracts younger kids.

“I see JUULs all the time, especially in gas stations where it is easier for little kids to get ahold of one,” Kahikina said. “I know a kid who is in the sixth grade and has one, and the effects of them are definitely not for somebody that age, but they get them because they don’t know the negative effects and want to be considered ‘cool.’”

Grand View freshman Conner Van Pelt said this phase will evolve and will be the new cigarettes moving forward.

“I don’t think JUULs specifically will be around in 20 years but something improved will be,” Van Pelt said.

On the other hand, Grand View sophomore Kelsey Woodruff said that the JUUL is here to stay and will be eventually undetectable.

“In 20 years, JUULs are going to be made in a way that parents won’t be able to find them,” Woodruff said.

Grand View Nurse Practitioner Ruth White said that the health aspects of the JUUL match the cigarettes as they both contain nicotine, and even though it might be more convenient than a cigarette, it could still cause the user to be prone to the complications that come with constantly using nicotine.

“Nicotine is a constrictor; it tightens up your vessels,” White said. “Anything with nicotine can lead to heart problems, along with other effects like agitation and dependency.”

Smoking cigarettes is slowly becoming something of the past for teens and young adults. Even though JUULs are different from cigarettes, they can cause close to the same amount of problems. As time passes and with more education on the product, students could learn about the effects and then come to their own decision on if it is a thing to stay or just a phase.