U.S. Expert Says Juul Withdrawal Symptoms Are Severe for Teens

According to a report from Health Day, Patricia Folan, director of the Tobacco Control Center at Northwell Health in Great Neck, New York, suggests that if you want to understand how addicted teens use Juul and other pod-based e-cigarettes, you should talk to teachers at schools.

Folan noted that some teachers have reported that once a student's Juul is confiscated, the student begs to get it back, as not using the e-cigarette makes them very uncomfortable. This may indicate that the withdrawal symptoms from e-cigarettes seem to be quite severe for teenagers.

A new evidence review has concluded that many aspects of pod-based e-cigarettes like Juul are designed to make people addicted to nicotine, which is not surprising.

Andy Tan, a research associate at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, said that the way they deliver nicotine represents a technological advancement that allows people to comfortably absorb large doses of nicotine.

Additionally, researchers concluded that the design and marketing of these e-cigarettes make them very appealing to children.

Tan stated, "More work needs to be done to ensure that there is a comprehensive and thoughtful policy in place to keep any form of e-cigarette products out of the hands of young people."

Juul Labs responded that its devices are not intended for minors and that its e-cigarettes are designed to help smokers transition away from traditional tobacco.

The company stated, "Providing a nicotine effect and experience similar to combustible cigarettes is critical to facilitating the transition of adult smokers away from combustible use. Our clinical studies show that the nicotine absorption curve of the Juul system can compete with combustible cigarettes, but is lower than combustible cigarettes."

Researchers pointed out that since the introduction of pod-based e-cigarettes, the use of e-cigarettes among teenagers has significantly increased, prompting the U.S. Secretary of Health to declare teen e-cigarette use an epidemic.

Researchers found that within three years of Juul's launch in 2015, about one in ten teenagers and young adults aged 15 to 21 had tried the device at least once.

To understand why Juul and similar devices are so successful, Tan and his colleagues reviewed 35 research papers on pod-based e-cigarettes published between 2015 and 2019.

Tan noted that e-cigarettes like Juul contain higher levels of nicotine salts in their liquids, rather than freebase nicotine. The acidity of nicotine salts is lower than that of regular nicotine. Tan said, "Compared to earlier versions of e-cigarettes, the irritation and harshness have been greatly improved."

This allows users to vape more frequently, thereby exposing themselves to higher amounts of nicotine over time. It also makes it easier for teenagers to use Juul and similar products.

Tan said, "Young people experimenting with e-cigarettes are less affected by the irritation of inhaling vapor. Because they are exposed to higher levels of nicotine, they are also more likely to develop a dependence or addiction to nicotine."

Folan stated that using pod-based e-cigarettes is comfortable, and people do not feel discomfort from nicotine.

According to Folan, a 23-year-old patient who switched from smoking to vaping reported that he could not force himself to quit e-cigarettes and needed to continuously vape to satisfy his cravings, with one of the side effects of excessive nicotine consumption being nausea and vomiting.

Tan continued, saying that devices like Juul often resemble USB flash drives, and their stylish and compact design appeals to young people. They are designed discreetly and stylishly. Unlike traditional television, radio, or print advertising, Juul and its competitors tend to rely on social media for marketing.

"Young people prefer using social media platforms more than other age groups because they have a higher usage rate of social media platforms."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration completed another ban on pod-based e-cigarettes in January, which only prohibits the sale of flavored pod-based e-cigarette products.

Tan believes that e-cigarette manufacturers have figured out a way to circumvent the ban, which is through disposable e-cigarettes. Disposable e-cigarettes (such as Puff Bar and Mojo Vape) come in various appealing flavors, exploiting a loophole in the FDA ban.

Disposable products cost about $10 and contain enough e-liquid for approximately 300 puffs. Used devices are thrown in the trash.

Tan commented on attempts to regulate e-cigarettes, saying, "It's basically a form of whack-a-mole; ban one product, and another one that exploits the policy loophole appears."#p#分页标题#e#

The new evidence review was published online on June 1 in JAMA Pediatrics.