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The Truth About Vaping

With flavors like mango and mint, e-cigarettes sound fun and harmless. But what you don’t know about these tiny devices could hurt you.

October 2018

By Tod Olson

Courtesy of Family

Margarida, 15, uses a type of e-cigarette called a Juul. She first tried it last summer. She wants to quit—but can’t.

Margarida Ferreira, 15, first tried a Juul in the summer of 2017. Juuls are e-cigarettes that come in sweet flavors. And they were just becoming popular. A friend of Margarida’s had gotten one from her older sister.

“I didn’t like it at first,” Margarida says. “But back at school, everyone had one.” In the bathrooms, the smell of the flavors—mango or “cool cucumber”—hung in the air.

Before long, Margarida was juuling every day. “I couldn’t stop,” she says. “Now, it’s always in the back of my head: Where’s my Juul?”

Margarida Ferreira is 15. She first tried a Juul in 2017.

Juuls are e-cigarettes. They come in sweet flavors.

Margarida’s friend got a Juul from her older sister. “I didn’t like it at first,” Margarida says. “But back at school, everyone had one.” The bathrooms smelled like mango or “cool cucumber,” two flavors of Juuls.

Soon, Margarida was juuling every day. “I couldn’t stop,” she says. “Now, it’s always in the back of my head. Where’s my Juul?”

Margarida Ferreira, 15, first tried a Juul in the summer of 2017.

Juuls are e-cigarettes that come in sweet flavors, and they were just beginning to gain popularity. A friend of Margarida’s had gotten one from her older sister.

“I didn’t like it at first,” Margarida remembers, “but back at school, everyone had one.” In the bathrooms, the smell of the flavors—mango or “cool cucumber”—hung in the air.

Before long, Margarida was juuling every day. “I couldn’t stop,” she says. “Now, it’s always in the back of my head: Where’s my Juul?”

PAUSE AND THINK: What’s a Juul? How did Margarita start using one?

Hooked

Heather Weston

The Juul, a type of e-cigarette

Walk into a high school today and you won’t find many people who smoke tobacco cigarettes. But one in three high school seniors have tried “vaping,” or using e-cigarettes. And Juul is by far their favorite brand. Last year, Juul sales went up by more than 600 percent.

Why are Juuls so popular? They’re about 4 inches long, and they look like flash drives. Flash drives are the little memory sticks that plug into your computer. That makes Juuls easy to hide.

But there’s another reason Juuls are everywhere. Once you start using e-cigarettes, it’s hard to stop. Most people don’t realize it, but e-cigarrettes are as addictive as tobacco cigarettes.

Few high school students smoke tobacco cigarettes. But one in three high school seniors have tried “vaping” (using e-cigarettes). Juul is their favorite brand. Last year, Juul sales went up more than 600 percent.

Why are Juuls so popular? Juuls are about 4 inches long. They look like flash drives. Flash drives are the memory sticks that plug into your computer. That makes Juuls easy to hide.

There is another reason that Juuls are everywhere. Once you start using e-cigarettes, it’s hard to stop. E-cigarettes are as addictive as tobacco cigarettes.

Walk into a high school today, and you won’t find many people who smoke tobacco cigarettes. But one in three high school seniors have tried “vaping” (or using e-cigarettes), and Juul is by far their favorite brand. Last year, Juul sales increased by more than 600 percent.

Why are Juuls so popular? They’re approximately 4 inches long, and they resemble flash drives, the little memory sticks that plug into your computer. That makes Juuls easy to conceal.

But there’s another reason Juuls are everywhere: Once you start using e-cigarettes, it’s difficult to stop. Most people don’t realize it, but e-cigarettes are as addictive as tobacco cigarettes.

PAUSE AND THINK: Why is it hard to stop using e-cigarettes once you start?

Hidden Dangers

Here’s how Juuls work. For $15, juulers—or people who use Juuls—buy four tiny “pods” filled with a liquid. They call the liquid juice. The juice contains nicotine, flavoring, and other chemicals.

The Juul heats up the juice in the pod to make a vapor. That vapor is what juulers inhale. The nicotine is what makes them come back for more.

Nicotine is the chemical in cigarettes that makes people addicted. And Juuls deliver a lot of it. Each pod has as much nicotine as a whole pack of cigarettes.

Nicotine is a powerful drug. It changes your brain. Your body gets used to a regular dose. Take it away and you’ll feel sick. You’ll get headaches. You might have trouble sleeping. Chances are you’ll feel restless and anxious.

What happens when juulers can’t quit? No one knows. E-cigarettes have been around for only about 15 years. It’s hard to predict the long-term dangers. Most scientists say e-cigarettes are less dangerous than tobacco cigarettes. But the chemicals in e-cigarettes may cause cancer.

Here is how Juuls work: Juulers (people who use Juuls) buy four tiny “pods” filled with a liquid for $15. The liquid is called juice. The juice contains nicotine, flavoring, and other chemicals.

The Juul heats up the juice in the pod to make a vapor. The vapor is what juulers inhale. The nicotine is what juulers get addicted to.

Nicotine is the addictive chemical in cigarettes. Juuls have a lot of it. Each pod has as much nicotine as a whole pack of cigarettes.

Nicotine is a powerful drug. It changes your brain. Your body gets used to a regular dose. If you take it away, you’ll feel sick. You’ll get headaches. You might have trouble sleeping. You will probably feel restless and anxious.

What happens when juulers can’t quit? No one knows. E-cigarettes have been around for only about 15 years. It’s hard to predict the long-term dangers. Most scientists say e-cigarettes are safer than tobacco cigarettes. But the chemicals in e-cigarettes may cause cancer.

Here’s how Juuls work. For $15, juulers—or people who use Juuls—purchase four tiny “pods” filled with a liquid. The liquid, called “juice,” contains nicotine, flavoring, and other chemicals.

The Juul heats up the juice in the pod to create a vapor, which is what juulers inhale. The nicotine is what makes them come back for more.

Nicotine is the chemical in cigarettes that makes people addicted, and Juuls deliver a lot of it: Each pod contains as much nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes.

Nicotine is a powerful drug that changes your brain. Your body becomes accustomed to a regular dose: Take it away and you’ll feel sick. You’ll get headaches, and you might have difficulty sleeping. Chances are you’ll feel restless and anxious.

What happens when juulers can’t quit? No one knows. E-cigarettes have been around for only about 15 years, so it’s hard to predict the long-term dangers. According to most scientists, e-cigarettes are less dangerous than tobacco cigarettes, but the chemicals in e-cigarettes may cause cancer.

PAUSE AND THINK: What is nicotine? Why is it harmful?

Juulers Against Juul

Despite the dangers, juuling is still on the rise in high schools. Some people blame flavors like mango and fruit medley. These flavors make Juuls sound like candy. They also make e-cigarettes seem harmless.

That’s what Margarida thought when she first started juuling. “I thought, ‘It’s fruit; it can’t be bad for you,’” she says.

Now Margarida knows the real story. So do other students at her school, Scarsdale High. Last spring a senior named Jack Waxman saw his friends getting addicted to Juuls. He decided to make a video warning about the dangers. Margarida agreed to tell her story for the video.

She’s still trying to quit juuling. But she’s glad she helped make the video. It’s called “Juulers Against Juul.” It’s gotten attention on national TV. And both Jack and Margarida hope the message will get through.

“Maybe sixth-graders are hearing it,” Jack says. “They’ll see that juuling can take over your life. And they’ll say, ‘I’m not going to start.’”

Despite the dangers, juuling is still on the rise in high schools. Some blame flavors like mango and fruit medley. These flavors make Juuls sound like candy. They also make e-cigarettes seem harmless.

That is what Margarida thought when she first started juuling. “I thought, ‘It’s fruit; it can’t be bad for you,’” she says.

Now she knows the truth. Other students at her school know too. Jack Waxman is a senior. He saw his friends getting addicted to Juuls. He made a video about the dangers. Margarida agreed to tell her story for the video.

Margarida is still trying to quit juuling. She is glad that she helped make the video. The video is called “Juulers Against Juul.” It’s gotten attention on national TV. Jack and Margarida hope the message will get through.

“Maybe sixth-graders are hearing it,” Jack says. “They’ll see that juuling can take over your life. And they’ll say, ‘I’m not going to start.’”