High school senior sounds the alarm on teen 'juuling' trend with eye-opening video
A new video sheds an eye-opening light on teens' use of e-cigarettes, or what they call “juuling.”
The term derives from Juul, a popular vaping device.
“You couldn’t be caught dead with a cigarette right now if you’re a teenager, but with juuling, it’s cool to Juul,” said Jack Waxman, 17, who produced the video.
Waxman, who lives in a New York City suburb, claims juuling has become a big problem with teens in his community.
“These flavors are drawing them in and the nicotine is forcing them to stay,” he told “GMA.”
The Juul is a trendy vape pen that heats up liquid nicotine that users inhale. The pen has capsules, or pods, that come in a variety of flavors like “cool mint” and “fruit medley.”
Juul "accommodates nicotine levels akin to a cigarette’s to satisfy smokers switching," according to the product website.
An estimated three million U.S. adolescents currently use e-cigarettes, including those who never smoked cigarettes, according to a recent study by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“Some of my friends have tried using cigarettes and it’s because they have been juuling, because they're so used to juuling that they think it's OK to use cigarettes,” one teen says in the video, a six-minute public service announcement released by Juulers Against Juul, an organization founded by Jack.
“I want to stop but the habit of juulig is just so intense,” Jack Solomon, 15, who is featured in the PSA, told "GMA."
Scarsdale High School, where Waxman is a senior, told ABC News it is aware of the trend among its students, adding that it “has turned out to be a growing problem.”
Juul told ABC News in a statement that its product was made exclusively for adults looking to quit smoking. The company also said it is investing $30 million to independent research and youth and parent education.
"We cannot be more emphatic on this point: No young person or non-nicotine user should ever try JUUL,’ the statement read.
The Vapor Technology Association, a trade association that lobbies for the vapor tech, e-cigarette and e-liquid industry, said it is also working to keep vapor products away from youth.
“The Vapor Technology Association has adopted comprehensive marketing standards to ensure that vapor products are kept away from youth,” Tony Abboud, the association’s executive director, told “GMA.” “We presented those standards to the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] in January of this year and have asked the FDA to step up enforcement efforts on marketing.”
Waxman took his concerns recently to the New York State legislature, asking leaders to help.
“The more people that know about the problem, the more people can take action and from there we can really make change,” he said.
