There is a new trend in the teenage world—juuling. It is the e-cigarette of choice at the moment for those who desire to get a nicotine “fix”. There is no shortage of middle school, high school, and college students who “juul”. This is also very alarming because recent studies have shown dangerous and very harmful results from these products. Here is an article from the Washington Post that tells more.
In 2018, more than 37 percent of 12th-graders reported vaping at least once in the past 12 months, according to findings released by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, even though many were too young to legally purchase the products. A year earlier, the figure was about 28 percent. When teens were asked about use in the 30 days before the survey, 21 percent said they had vaped, which was nearly double the rate from 2017.
Because of a variety of factors — genetics, trauma, peer behavior — some teens develop a strong attachment to the products, bonds that are unshakable even in the face of escalating consequences. Experts say teen brains are particularly vulnerable to addiction because they are still developing and that it is easier for teens to fall victim to addictive products because they have less impulse control.
They worry the chemical will shape the brains of teens, priming their “reward pathways” and making them more vulnerable to other kinds of substance abuse. They worry, too, that many pediatricians lack the expertise and treatments to help young people who cannot quit. And there are few treatment options for teens addicted to nicotine. While adult smokers seeking to quit have benefited from nicotine patches and the drug varenicline, better known as Chantix, there is scant evidence those treatments work for young people, according to Jonathan Winickoff, a pediatrician and researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital who specializes in tobacco cessation and who treated Cade Beauparlant.
“We have millions of kids now, millions of adolescents who are using mostly Juul — and in some cases other devices — who are unable to quit,” Winickoff said. “It’s something we don’t have the infrastructure to deal with.”
For the rest of the article, click here.
Parents, this is time to ask your child if they are juuling. To be honest, these items are VERY easy to hide and many simply keep them in their pockets. I have heard and seen students all around the city who juul at home, in the car on the way to school, in the bathroom stalls, in class, in the locker room, and pretty much anywhere you can imagine. Please, ask your child about this.