Juul has blown up over the past couple of years, and advertises themselves as 'the Smoking Alternative'. Their mission is 'Our to improve the lives of the world's one billion adult smokers'. However, to what degree is that accurate?
From the point of view of someone who used to smoke just one cigarette every few weeks, a Juul was much more tempting in comparison. Cigarettes can't be smoked indoors or in most public places, and society frowns down on them. Moreover, a lighter is needed, and there's little temptation to smoke a cigarette outside of social contexts. In moderation, cigarettes can be consumed in a more controlled, spaced out manner. Cigarettes are just not as convenient as Juuls. With Juuls, you can't really tell how much you're smoking until your pod is out, and you realize you went through the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes in a weekend. The Juul is always available - indoors or outdoors, regardless of location. It tastes good and society endorses them as the 'better alternative' to smoking.
Once you're ripping through a Juul pod every week or two, the nicotine and oral fixation begin to become addictive. It seems so easy to reach for the Juul - just one more hit won't hurt. And then another, and another. Before you know it, it's one of the first things you reach for in the morning, and one of the last things before you sleep.
Granted, to a large degree, Juuls can help adults who are addicted to smoking and used to blowing through packs of cigarettes every day. These people can save hundreds of dollars a year by switching to Juul, and they also consume less tar and chemicals like Chrysene and Nitrosamines.
However, I am part of a different demographic who is susceptible to worsening health from Juuls. Young adults, including college students, have long been exposed to the harms of cigarettes, but not to the harms of vapes. We view cigarettes as disgusting, harmful, and addicting. Vapes, however, are viewed in a much brighter light even though they are only relatively safer - but that doesn't mean they are safe.
Juul marketing targets the young adult population, but a small proportion of this demographic is actually a regular smoker. Thus, despite their wide marketing promises of being helpful for smokers, a large part of who starts Juuling is people who were not addicted to smoking to begin with. For these people, they would obviously smoke more than they had originally. The convenience and lower relative cost of Juuls compared to cigarettes are attractive not only to smokers but also to these former irregular-smokers.
At this point, Americans are taking Juuls in a much lighter light than they are taking cigarettes. It's important to remember how Juuls still contain nicotine, and that nicotine can be very addictive. With each tiny pod being the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes, it's very important to keep yourself in check and Juul in moderation, fighting the problem before it becomes one.
