Juuling is a new term emerging from teenagers who are smoking in secrecy. The term has been coined with the use of a new device called JUUL, a variant of electronic cigarette. Unlike with standard e-cigs, Juul is smaller and produces fewer amounts of smoke that makes it easy to hide from parents and teachers.

Juuling Craze Raises Concerns

E-cigarettes are electronic devices that simulate the feeling of smoking and have been designed as alternatives to real tobacco. These devices replicate smoking by heating a liquid to produce an aerosol or vapor. The liquid usually contains nicotine to provide the same sensation as with real smoking. A person who is using an e-cig is vaping, rather than smoking.

There are different shapes and sizes of e-cigs available in the market. Some have a pencil size, others have a tank-like body. They also support several flavors of vape fluid that make the marketing competitive with real cigarettes. Now, with the entry of the JUUL before the end of last year, the unique shape and its relative size are capturing the fancy of teenagers, inadvertently exposing underage people to nicotine.

"I have talked to some parents who, when I did a show and tell with these products in schools, they had actually had seen it in their child's room and they hadn't known it was an e-cigarette product or JUUL product. They actually thought it was a USB drive," said Dr. Daniel Giovenco, an expert on tobacco products at Columbia University.

That is the easiest description most people would attribute to JUUL – that it looks like a USB drive. In 2007, James Monsees and Adam Bowen who were both graduate students in the Stanford design program co-founded JUUL, and their experience in smoking tobacco products paved the way for the new device. According to JUUL's website, the device is not an electronic cigarette because:

- It uses a regulated heating element to avoid combustion, unlike with e-cigs. Moreover, the regulated heat source does not affect the vape in either short puffs or deep draws.

- It performs like a combustible product would that helps the transition from actual cigarette smoking.

- It contains nicotine levels that are similar to a real cigarette to satisfy the taste of the smoker.

- It features a different design than a standard cigarette or any other e-cigarette product.

These selling points and the device itself are designed for adults and should not be obtained by the youth. But the device has already reached younger people, especially teenagers. In fact, the data from Wells Fargo revealed that JUUL has accounted for 33 percent of the e-cigs market by late 2017. The device also produces fewer wisps of vapor than an e-cig, has a cartridge with 200 puffs, and can easily be charged on a laptop, which makes it very easy for kids to carry and use.

Ashley Gould, the chief administrative officer at JUUL Labs, said that development of the device is meant to provide an alternative for smokers. Gould added that the company did not allow minors to use the product.

"It was absolutely not made to look like a USB port. It was absolutely not made to look discreet for kids to hide them in school. It was made to not look like a cigarette, because when smokers stop they don't want to be reminded of cigarettes," Gould explained.

JUUL is only available to individuals starting at age 21, and in some states 18, but for some reason, minors managed to gain access to the units sold in retail stores. The craze of JUUL is currently spreading in several states in the US like in California and Massachusetts.

Alternatives to Real Cigarettes

Smoking tobacco products can cause serious health problems like cardiovascular diseases and different types of cancer. Because of the addictive effects of nicotine, smokers find it incredibly difficult to quit the habit. So, they look for safer alternatives that have fewer health consequences but contain the same sensation.

Several models of electronic cigarettes have been developed to replicate the sensation of cigarette smoking, but still failed to provide a safer experience. Recent studies revealed that certain parts of e-cigs contain toxic metals, such as chromium and lead. Burning the vape fluids can potentially expose users to the toxic metals. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vaping can still expose people to cancer-causing substances.

Herbal cigarettes are products that are usually marketed as nicotine-free cigarettes that fool people about being safer, compared to traditional cigarettes. This is because most people think that nicotine is the substance responsible for cancer in smoking. What they do not know is nicotine only causes addiction and the other chemicals in cigarettes cause the disease. Herbal cigarettes are nicotine-free and do not have certain additives, but in place of those, these products contain tar and carbon monoxide, which are as bad as real tobacco products.

[메디컬리포트=Ralph Chen 기자]