What Juuling is Doing To Your Body

Juuling, also known as “Teen Vaping” has now become an epidemic among our youth.

Juuls is a type of vaporized e-cigarette that works by an internally regulated heating system that creates an inhaled aerosol. This mechanism prevents the batteries in the juul from overheating and exploding, which has been a problem for other brands of e-cigarettes.

Small enough to be carried in the palm of the hand, it’s readily accessible to USB charging making Juuling the next big worry for parents of teens.

Juuling was invented by two Stanford graduates in 2007 and designed as an alternative to cigarettes.

A 2018 study published in the journal Pediatrics  found that teenagers who smoked e-cigarettes had higher levels of cancer-causing chemicals in their bodies than non-smokers.

According to the company’s website, one pod of Juuls contains the same amount of nicotine as in a pack of cigarettes.  What sets Juuls apart from other e-cigarettes  is their patented  formula of nicotine, which uses nicotine salts. This makes the nicotine more readily absorbed into the bloodstream and makes the vapor less harsh so that it is easier to inhale more nicotine for longer periods of time.

Nicotine acts as a neurotoxin that alters brain chemistry causing it to function normally without it. According to Psychopharmacology, “Brain imaging studies of adolescents who began smoking at a young age had markedly reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, an area critical for a person’s cognitive behavior and decision making, leading to increased sensitivity to other drugs and greater impulsivity.”

Juuls are sold in stores as well as their website.  With a legal purchasing age of 21, a date of birth, legal name and permanent address are required. This information is checked with public records. However, many teens lie about their age and purchase with prepaid debit cards.

The FDA also sent letters to more than 1,300 stores and online retailers, warning them that they could face penalties for allegedly selling e-cigarettes to people under 18. Another 130 sellers were handed fines ranging from $279 to $11,182 for repeat offenses.

As cited in center4research.org, “In April 2018, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced that he was creating a Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan aimed at stopping the dramatic rise in the use of e-cigarette and tobacco products among youth. The FDA specifically asked Juul Labs for documents related to product marketing and research on the health, toxicological, behavioral, or physiological effects of their products in order to understand why youth are so attracted to them. Additionally, Juul Labs is currently facing lawsuits in several states claiming that its products were deceptively marketed to youth under the legal smoking age. The FDA now plans to create enforcement policies for e-cigarette manufacturers, including juul, that are marketing their products to children and teenagers.”

Parents, talk to your children before another addiction sweeps over our youth.

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