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Leading Public Health Groups Warns Parents And Educators About New Tobacco Craze Among Teens: Juul E-Cigarettes

Last updated on Wednesday, April 18, 2018

(UNDATED) - While cigarette smoking among teenagers has fallen to record lows, public health groups are sounding the alarm about a new tobacco product called Juul that has quickly become all the rage among middle and high school students - and now makes up more than half of the e-cigarette market.

Juul is a sleek e-cigarette that looks like a flash drive and fits in the palm of your hand, making it easy to hide and use in schools. It even charges in the USB port of a laptop. Juul also comes in appealing flavors including mango, crème brulee and fruit medley, which have been shown to attract young people.

To raise awareness of the dangers of Juul, Truth Initiative, the national public health organization that directs and funds the truth youth smoking prevention campaign, and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids are joining to warn parents and educators of the health risks. They are also calling on the FDA to launch an immediate investigation of Juul and to take action to protect kids.

According to new research from Truth Initiative to be released April 18th, 63 percent of Juul users did not know the product always contains nicotine. It's imperative for Juul users, parents and educators to understand that Juul e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is a highly addictive drug that can harm an adolescent's developing brain. In fact, one cartridge of JUUL, about 200 puffs, has as much nicotine as one pack of cigarettes. Studies have also found that youth who use e-cigarettes are at greater risk of using regular cigarettes.

According to the most recent National Youth Tobacco Survey, 11.3 percent of high school students and 4.3 percent of middle school students - over 2 million youth - were current e-cigarette users in 2016. However, many kids many not be aware of the health risks. Many Juul users say they're "Juuling" rather than using e-cigarettes or vaping.

Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States, killing 480,000 Americans and costing the U.S. about $170 billion in health care expenses each year. The vast majority of tobacco users start as kids.

More information will be available starting Wed., Apr 18 at www.tobaccofreekids.org/juul.

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