“Let me hit your Juul, bro.” If you’re not familiar with the phrase, a “Juul” is an electronic cigarette shaped like a small USB. With their odorless vapor and slick design, Juuls have become increasingly popular amongst teens trying to hide their smoking habit from parents and school staff.

Amongst Miami High students, Juuls and e-cigarettes in general are widely used. Sophomore Christian Redondo said, “I personally don’t see the appeal, but most of my friends do smoke vape pens, and Juuls especially ‘cause they’re easy to hide.”

Senior Michelle Sanchez said, “I know dozens of kids who do it. I think it’s because they’re all trying to be popular. Juuls don’t get you high, so why else would they smoke it?”

“Yes, they’re popular amongst my friends. I smoke them myself,” an anonymous female senior said as she took hers out in front of me and proceeded to take a drag. “I smoke it when I’m trying to de-stress but can’t get a hold of weed. The feeling is very mellow, and, yeah, they can make you light-headed, but it’s more of a light and dreamy feeling than a sick one.”

Principal Mr. Valdes reports that the busting of kids smoking in school has been very minimal. However, the school’s policy on students in possession of drugs ranges from suspension to arrest.

When I asked the anonymous female senior if the risk of so openly smoking in school was worth it, she replied, “My friend’s mom literally found my Juul and brushed it off as a USB. In a school of 3000 kids, who the hell is going to know I have one?”

I asked her friend, who was Juuling next to her, if she thought she was addicted. “I’m definitely addicted. Whenever my Juul dies, I start to get anxious. Getting a hold of a new one will be the only thing on my mind.”

While Juuls might seem fun to teens, they deliver nicotine into the teens’ bodies at highly addictive rates. Nicotine is the active ingredient in tobacco products and is what gives them their notorious addictive quality.

According to the website of the Truth Initiative, America’s largest non-profit public health organization dedicated to making tobacco use a thing of the past, “The amount of nicotine in one JUUL cartridge is roughly equal to the amount of nicotine in a whole pack of cigarettes…that’s double the concentration of nicotine found in other e-cigarettes.”

The sale of electronic cigarettes to those under the age of 18 is prohibited by law in the state of Florida. Both users interviewed for this story, although minors, said they got their Juuls at legal smoke shops and gas stations. “Most places don’t ask for I.D. when it comes to e-cigs,” one said.

Just the Truth about JUUL

• -Nearly 1 in 5 students between 12 and 17 years old have seen juul used in school.
• -The amount of nicotine in one JUUL cartridge is roughly equal to the amount of nicotine in a pack of cigarettes, or about 200 puffs.
• -74 percent of youth said that they obtained their JUUL at a store or retail outlet.

Source: Truth Initiative, America’s largest non-profit public health organization dedicated to making tobacco use a thing of the past. <https://truthinitiative.org>