Juul rises in popularity and FDA takes a stand

 According to CNBN roughly 3 million, or about 20 percent of high school kids, are using e-cigarettes.  This what a pack of pods, the device(Juul), charger, and a pod looks like.

According to CNBN roughly 3 million, or about 20 percent of high school kids, are using e-cigarettes. This what a pack of pods, the device(Juul), charger, and a pod looks like.

Shelby Patton, Ranger Review Reporter

The FDA has released a statement in attempt to decrease the amount of teen usage of nicotine products. JUUL (an e-cigarette) is meant to be an alternative for smoking cigarettes for adults, as stated by juul.com.

According to the FDA, cigarettes hold more toxins but they have less nicotine, which is the element that makes juuls addictive.

“The developing adolescent brain is particularly vulnerable to addiction,” the FDA said in a statement about the possible ban.

Juuls were released July of 2017 and teens bought them instantly. Consequently, many have faced addiction. Buzzfeed has recently released an article stating that each pod holds as much nicotine as one pack of cigarettes.

“Nicotine has been long known as a highly addictive substance that can affect brain chemistry,” Buzzfeed said. According to the University of Rochester Medical Center website, the adolescent brain is still developing until the age of 25 and most kids aged 14-18 years old are vaping.

According to the US District Court in Southern District of New York, parents and schools are working together on this subject. Schools are putting awareness posters and school wide searches to try to stop this.

The most recent complaint was filed in New York by a mother on behalf of her 15-year-old son, named as “D.P.” according to court documents. The mother claims that D.P. tried the Juul in September 2017 and became severely addicted to nicotine, which led his parents to switch him to another high school. Despite the measures taken, D.P. is unable to stop “juuling” and the nicotine addiction has “altered his brain physically and chemically,” the complaint said.

According to The American Academy of Pediatrics, The FDA’s restrictions on all e-cigarettes have given companies a choice, which gives the five leading e-cigarette manufacturers 60 days to submit plans as to how they will address youth use of their products. The FDA says if the plan is not submitted within those days, the brands will be taken out of all stores.

The tops brands of e-cigarettes include JUUL, Blu, Vaptio, SMOK, and a Phix. All of these hold nicotine but some, such as a Phix, have more nicotine. A Phix device has 10% nicotine level while a juul has 5%.

According to “Juul built and e-cigarette empire,” a story written by CNBC reporter Angelica LaVito, roughly 3 million, or about 20 percent of high school kids, are using e-cigarettes.  This has led to a new FDA crackdown this month on sales to minors.

A starter pack which contains a device and a charger costs $50 alone. A packs of pods, which contains 4 pods is sold at $20. A recent survey on Facebook shows that a teen who vapes spends $180 a month on this addiction.

“Any responsible party that wants to market products to adults needs to step up,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CNBC in an interview in July. “We have a window of opportunity to address this, and if the youth use continues, we’ll lose that opportunity.”