In just four years on the market, JUUL, a new type of e-cigarette, has become so popular among teenagers and young adults that it has already collected nearly half of the e-cigarette market share. In case you are one of the little innocents that have no idea what I am talking about, a juul is a device that heats up a cartridge containing oils to create a vapor that dissolves quickly into the air. A single juul pod is equivalent to a pack of cigarettes which is roughly 200 cigarette puffs. Nicotine is a very addictive chemical. According to truthinitiative.org, evidence suggests that nicotine use during adolescence and young adulthood has long-term impacts on brain development. Some young adults claim they don’t know that they are smoking nicotine, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is reported that 99 percent of e-cigarettes sold in U.S. convenience stores, supermarkets and similar outlets in 2015 contained nicotine, the same year JUUL released their e-cigarettes.

The big controversy over juuls is whether they are safer than cigarettes. Before the past month, there probably would be more people saying yes than no, but that is not the case anymore. As of late August, nearly 150 people (mainly teens and young adults) had been hospitalized from vaping. A total of twelve people have died since the first person reported being sick. In many cases the patients reported using the cannabis compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in their e-cigarette, but the CDC hasn’t concluded if any specific product is to blame. However, a different organization known as the FDA, has come out to claim that a chemical called vitamin E acetate may be the culprit to the illness from vaping. What this means is that most juices contains the chemical can cause illness to a human being, according to the FDA. The future for vapes and the self proclaimed “safer alternative” has become a bit of a rocky road and now the US government is issuing warnings out to the public not to use any vaping devices until further research is done. Vaping is a risk, that we know, and is not recommended to be used until the US government does more research on the products.

There is no difference between juuling and vaping, except the fact you can get vape juice without nicotine, but it is still just as bad. There are some horrible effects of juuling/vaping. There are effects like nicotine dependence. Nicotine stimulates your central nervous system. This can increase your blood pressure, breathing, and heart rate. It can cause blood pressure and heart rate to go up higher. This can lead to an abnormal heart rate (arrhythmia). In rare cases, this can cause heart failure or death. “Secondhand smoke” is also a thing with e-cigarettes. It can cause harm to the heart and lungs of people who aren’t even vaping. Just don’t juul or vape.