WHO HAS BEEN NEGATIVELY AFFECTED BY JUUL VAPE PRODUCTS?

In 2015, JUUL vaping devices hit the market. Since then, we have seen a new generation of addicts explode, many of them minors. Aggressive social media and shrewd marketing campaigns have led many people to become addicted to vaping. JUUL, an electronic cigarette business, is one of the companies that have led this effort, promising that their product would improve the lives of one billion adult smokers. They stated that their mission was to help people quit smoking in the traditional sense, and they have certainly made a massive impact. By 2017, JUUL had grown to be a vaping empire worth $5 billion. The start-up, which is located in San Francisco, now controls more than 75 percent of the vaping market in the United States.

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You may be wondering what the problem is here. After all, surely

helping adults to quit smoking is positive? Well, the truth is that

JUUL has attained this lion share because they have created an

entirely new set of customers for their products. They have

developed a generation of nicotine addicts through their

aggressive social media campaigns and marketing efforts.

With an easily disguisable and clever product design, combined

with a number of other strategies, they have been targeting

children and teenagers across the United States. 

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WHAT CHEMICALS ARE IN A JUUL?

Before we can take a look at the negative impact that JUUL products have had on the younger generation, it is first important to understand why JUUL vaping is dangerous. Therefore, we need to look at the chemicals that are contained in their products. A JUUL cartridge contains liquid that is made up of benzoic acid, flavoring, propylene glycol, glycerol, and 40 mg of nicotine. When compared with the other vaping devices that are on the market today, JUUL contains a very high level of nicotine. When compared with other devices, like the Blue vape cartridge, JUUL contains more than twice the concentration of nicotine. This makes the addiction risk very high.

 

In fact, there was a study that was carried out by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the United Kingdom. It showed that nicotine is more addictive than anti-anxiety drugs and alcohol. They also concluded that it was on the same level of addictiveness as cocaine.

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This is not the only negative impact that is associated with nicotine. While it is highly addictive, there have been a lot of different pieces of scientific research that have shown that nicotine is known to impair lung development and brain development if it is utilized during adolescence, as well as being toxic to fetuses.

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Plus, it is also worth pointing out that it is not just the nicotine that is bad in JUUL products. While these vaping products do not contain a lot of the bad stuff that you would find in tobacco, there are other bad things in them. In fact, 42 additional chemicals, aside from the five main vape liquid

ingredients, have been identified in the vapor. A number of these

different chemicals are known carcinogens.

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For example, when compared with other vaping products out

there, JUUL products contain a higher amount of benzoic acid.

This is worrying because benzoic acid is known to cause vomiting,

nausea, abdominal pain, sore throat, and coughs if someone has

constant exposure to it, which will certainly be the case if you are

using JUUL vape products.

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THE NEGATIVE HEALTH EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO NICOTINE

Let’s take a look at the negative health effects associated with nicotine in further detail…

• Nicotine exposure in the utero has been connected with a number of different behavioral and neurodevelopment effects. Examples include poorer scholastic achievement, global intelligence, language development, memory reading, deficits in learning, and academic outcomes.

• Research has linked the chronic pulmonary obstructive disease with vaping.

• Research has shown that kids have more asthma, resulting in a greater number of days off school, because of nicotine use.

• Nicotine can lead to heart diseases because it stimulates the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

• Nicotine can make cancer worse. This is because it interacts with cancer cells that are present in the body.

• Prenatal exposure to nicotine also primes the adolescent brain for nicotine addiction and depression in later years.

• There are a number of different childhood and neonatal complications that are linked with exposure to nicotine. This includes behavior issues, attention deficit disorder, cognitive and affective disorders, smaller head circumference, renal dysfunction, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and postnatal obesity.

• Nicotine is genotoxic. The toxic impact of nicotine continues to manifest in a fetus, even if the person in question is no longer exposed to it.

• It is well-known that nicotine can impact a number of different organs in a developing fetus and the consequences can be life-long.

 

HOW JUUL APPEALS TO THE YOUNGER MARKET

JUUL has targeted teen and the young adult market very successfully. A lot of people would argue that when they redesigned their vape device, this was so it was better suited to a young audience. Engineers working for JUUL fashioned a new line of vape devices that were designed so that they mimicked the look of a USB flash drive. Not only this, but they can be charged by plugging the device into a computer, just like a USB device would be. This means that middle school and high school students are able to hide their devices in plain sight.

 

Students may charge their vape devices at school and their teachers would be none the wiser because it looks like a USB flash drive. We can deduce that this has been done purposely to hit the younger audience market. After all, any adult that is looking to quit smoking is going to want something that mimics the look and feel of a conventional cigarette. This would help them to more effectively quit smoking.  However, the JUUL products do not adhere to this at all. Many people have concluded that this is because Juul wanted to have a special and unique appeal to the youth audience across the United States, and this has certainly worked.

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A lot of critics also believe that the fun range of flavors found within the JUUL product range is also designed to appeal to youths and children. After all, when someone is trying to quit smoking, they are going to want something that reminds them of a traditional cigarette. They are not going to want something that is pancake syrup, bubble gum, or strawberry flavored. These are the sorts of flavors that appeal to teens and children, as they are based on candy and other sweet treats. If that was not bad enough, a lot of the vape packaging features cartoons, photos of animals, artwork, mascots, and school colors too. This is much more likely to appeal to a young person than it is an adult who is genuinely looking to quit smoking.

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There have also been a number of different studies and expert commentary when it comes to the way in which JUUL goes about marketing its products. It has been shown that the company exploits social media channels like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, where teens and school children in the United States are known to spend a lot of their time. Plus, the business has paid influencers on social media to promote JUUL. JUUL-related hashtags were also incorporated onto videos and images of young people vaping while having fun and hanging out.

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THE IMPACT OF JUUL ON TEENS AND YOUNG CHILDREN

Public health has been significantly impacted by JUUL. Studies that have been conducted in recent times show that high school students are vaping double the amount than before, with figures taken from 2017 and 2018 proving these. To make matters worse, this is the highest increase in drug use, drinking, and smoking that has ever been recorded in the United States. Smoking amongst students in the United States has dropped to a record low, which would be positive if it was not for the fact that vaping has well and truly replaced it.

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WHAT CAN YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT DO ABOUT IT?

More and more lawsuits are being filed against JUUL for their aggressive marketing campaigns and the way that they have appealed to a younger target audience.  Our suit is aimed at the effect the marketing and sale of vaping products to minors has had on our educational system, namely School Districts.  Our school districts have had to absorb significant direct and consequential costs due to the scourge of JUUL vaping products sold to and used by minors. 

 

We can help your District in joining our class action suit against Juul seeking damages done by JUUL's irresponsible product and transparently targeted marketing efforts.  Please call us, McGrath Klaus & Associates, LLP, today at 516-500-7711 for more information.  Our senior Partners would be happy to speak to representatives of your District or the Board of Education to tell you more about how you can join in on this suit.  We will adjust our schedules to yours to meet in person, or via Zoom conference, to explain further how your District can benefit by joining this suit as a Class Action Plaintiff.

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