The Juuling Epidemic
Any student who has used a restroom in their time at Madison High School, has undoubtedly seen a juul or witnessed the act of vaping. Vaping is a popular activity that has taken over MHS over the past couple years. This is an issue that has been addressed by the staff, and despite the precautionary measures put in place, juuling is still prevalent in the school.
A juul as seen in the picture to the right, is a relatively small e-cigarette that looks somewhat like a flash drive. The size and concealability of a juul can make it easy for students to use discreetly in a wide range of places, both inside and outside of school. Furthermore, juuling gives off vapor that quickly disperses and has minimal smell. As for the point of vaping, people do it to get a “buzz” from the nicotine concetrate present in each juul.
For those unfamiliar with the act of “vaping”, it is the act of inhaling vapor produced by any kind of e-cigarette or personal vaporizer. E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that heat a coil housed in an atomizer that transforms “e-liquid” (or e-juice) into vapor. The e-liquid that goes into the atomizer is a mixture of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine, usually with water-soluble food flavorings. In the case of juuls, the e-liquid is stored into pods (the small part at the top of the juul), which come in a variety of flavors.
Pods flavors for juuling include mango, mint, tobacco, creme, etc. The introduction of a greater variety of flavors like these could be seen as an advertising strategy by e-cigarette and juuling companies into attracting a younger age group to their product. Teenagers will buy their favorite flavors in bulks of pods like buying candy from a store. This craze has lead to a massive popularity increase in juuling amongst teenagers, with 38% of high schoolers across the country admitting to have tried vaping before. This statistics was also provided in 2015, so that number has probably increased. And though vaping may not seem to be a health threat, as not much is yet known on the subject of vaping, recent studies are unveiling some possible effects of the substance.
It is true that compared to the nearly 43 cancer inducing chemicals and 4,000 toxins present in cigarettes, vaping is not nearly as bad. However, many teenagers believe that vaping is harmless and that is not the case. There is growing evidence that vaping can lead to a smoker’s cough and bloody mouth sores, in addition to addiction as nicotine is a main component in it. Furthermore, like many other substances, juuling can be a gateway drug. Once a person builds up an immunity and uses a juul more often, it becomes harder to get a buzz and this leads them to looking for more serious drugs. While the initial concept of vaping provides a great alternative for cigarette addicts and disuse from traditional cigarettes, it could lead into a new problem for the next generation.
You're wrong. • Nov 30, 2017 at 10:33 pm
Juuls are not a gateway drug. You’re uneducated.
Sarah Cox • Nov 28, 2017 at 2:16 pm
I think this article informs people the dangers of juuling that some people may not have known about. People juul to ¨look cool¨ but they dont understand the real dangers of juuling and how it can harm your body. This article could be a reality check for many people at Madison High School who Juul in bathrooms to be cool or actually are addicted. This is a serious matter at our school.
Clara Smith • Nov 28, 2017 at 2:09 pm
This article accurately describes information about juuling. I agree that it is a problem at our school, but unfortunately, I do not think there is a way to stop it, since they are odorless and easily portable. Personally, I think the only way to get kids to stop juuling is to effectively inform them of the effects – many people do not think juuling can affect your health and I think that if more people knew this, it would slightly decrease the number of juulers in school. The reason many people don’t think they are unhealthy is because they don’t contain the chemicals found in cigarettes, but juuls actually have more nicotine than cigarettes. Even if people knew the effects, some people would not stop because they simply do not care or they have developed a nicotine addiction, which is clearly a problem issue.
Maddie Yost • Nov 28, 2017 at 10:05 am
I agree that there is a juuling issue at our school, and I feel like this article gave good information on what vaping is because not a lot of people know what it is. I also agree that there is no way of knowing what the health risks of juuling and vaping are because they are not as known or studied as the effects of smoking cigarettes.
Jett Tom • Nov 27, 2017 at 2:23 pm
I think this article is good because it points out facts about juuls and the vapor as well as why people like to use them. I also like how you gave some statistics to further explain the juuling epidemic and how many people are using them.
Sophia • Nov 27, 2017 at 1:17 pm
This article is very informative about the effects of juuling and the severity of the problem. Some people may not know the health risks and this article highlights them. Before reading this I didn’t know how big of a problem it was and that people can get addicted or get mouth sores and smokers cough. Hopefully this article will spread the horrible effects of juuling and show students how bad it is.
Cara Pierce • Nov 27, 2017 at 12:56 pm
This article does a great job at informing students about the juuling epidemic. Also, for students unaware of this problem, the article provides a good explanation. It also touches on some of the dangers on juuling and relates juuls back to cigarettes. The article really exposes the reader to some information many “juulers” may not know. Overall, the article is very informative and helpful to the school community.
Sabrina Liu • Nov 26, 2017 at 9:56 pm
This article does a good job displaying the potentially harmful characteristics of vaping but should also mention the fact that such an addiction is proven in animals to cause immunity problems as well as reproductive problems. This contributes to the fact that many people do not know what goes into vaping and therefore the chemical risks they are initiating by doing so.
Jack Hanson • Nov 26, 2017 at 8:08 pm
I agree that juuling is widespread throughout Madison High School. I find it interesting that despite rules and harsh punishments, students continue to vape at school. As was stated in the article, juuls were meant to be alternatives for cigarette smokers, however now I feel that people will progress from vaping to more serious drugs, which is opposite of the intended effect. It is worrying that so many people juul without knowing the full extent of what you are doing to your body. There do not seem to be any serious consequences right now, but I wonder what side effects will occur later in life.
Emma • Nov 26, 2017 at 8:00 pm
This article is very informative and thoroughly describes the epidemic. It offers up some facts that are not commonly known to the public, such as the juul’s side effects. I too can attest to have seen the act of juuling in our high school restrooms, and I don’t think the children doing it know what they are getting themselves into. With my newfound knowledge, I will definitely make sure to spread the word to the C hall bathroom to STOP THE JUUL 2k17.
Kathryn Wilt • Nov 26, 2017 at 9:38 am
This is a great article to inform all of our student body what the juul can actually do and hopefully make them realize that it can come with consequences. Before reading this article, I just knew that juuling was something people in our school did, I never realized it could become addictive and cause side effects such as mouth sores and smokers cough. This article was very informative and hopefully will spread the word to our student body that juuling is bad.
Brooke Dernier • Nov 22, 2017 at 12:54 pm
the Juuling epidemic: this article was more of stating facts rather than opinion which I appreciate. the staff has “addressed” this issue as stated in the article though it has not and probably will not be resolved. there is no effective way of solving the issue. vaping is and will continue to become more popular which is concerning if the health detriments presented in this article are accurate.
Thankful • Nov 22, 2017 at 11:59 am
Great article Stu, providing the facts straight up and in such a concise manner. After reading this article I will never juul again.
Peter Samori • Nov 22, 2017 at 11:49 am
The article is extremely informative and does a good job describe just what a juul is. The reader is also given a sense of the harms of this device and how imperative it is to squash the issue. As a student at Madison High School, I can attest to the author’s experiences in the school bathrooms and concur that it is indeed an epidemic. Additionally, I found it interesting that kids are using these devices despite uncertain health ramifications.