Vaping: Is it Good or Bad?

By Catherine O’Grady, re-published with permission

Juuling has become extremely popular among college and highschool students, sparking the question:  What is in a Juul and is it healthier than a traditional cigarette?

Juul was created in 2007 by Stanford graduate students looking for a healthier alternative to traditional cigarette smoking. Juuling is considered vaping or the action of inhaling or exhaling the vapor produced by an electric cigarette or similar device. The small flash drive sized vaporizer with replaceable nicotine juice cartridges have become the best selling e-cigarette in the United States.  Juul gained $224 million in sales last year and contributes to the 9 million Americans that report vaping regularly.

Juuls were designed to mimic the cigarette smoking experience without the harsh chemicals found in cigarettes. Juul pods are composed of glycerol and propylene glycol, nicotine, benzoic acid, and flavorants. They come in a variety of flavors such as creme brulee and and mango, making them appealing to a younger demographic. Juul pods don’t always contain just nicotine and vapor liquid. We’re now seeing CBD-infused vape oils and e-liquids, like this one from Royal CBD, which sometimes contain just CBD, while other times containing both CBD and nicotine.

Over one million Juuls have been sold to date and are highly accessible, with over 12,000 convenience stores across the nation selling them.

“I started juuling to stop smoking cigarettes,” says Eva Lynch, freshman at Catholic University.  Lynch is using the e-cigarette for its intended purpose: to stop cigarette smoking and offer a healthier alternative. However these small vaporizers have become increasingly popular among students who originally hadn’t smoked, which may be concerning considering the long term health risks of juuling are unknown.

Although popular, some people are still skeptical about Juul.

“I have not ever vaped because I think that it is a stupid and horrible trend and a complete waste of money and don’t forget the health concerns,” said Iszy Del Peschio, freshman. “People don’t even know what kind of chemicals are in juul pods and it is disgusting. Kids are becoming addicted to nicotine because it tastes fruity.

Nicotine is still a highly addictive substance regardless of one’s smoking preference. Smoking one Juul pod is equivalent in nicotine to smoking an entire pack of cigarettes.

“To know that people go through a pod in a day is horrifying and vial,” said Del Peschio.  “Vaping is a heinous habit and I refuse to partake in ruining my body.”

Juuling can not only lead to a nicotine addiction but it is also a financial burden, although less of a burden than traditional cigarettes. The average cigarette smoker spends about $2,285 a year on cigarettes. As for Juuls, the device itself costs around $35 and a four pack of pods costs $16. If an individual smokes one pod a day, his or her cost annually would amount to $1,471, about $1,000 less than the cigarette smoker.

At Catholic, smoking is defined as “inhaling, exhaling, burning or heating any tobacco, plant, vapor or other substance intended for inhalation by any method, including but not limited to cigars, cigarettes, pipes, hookahs or electronic smoking devices such as e-cigarettes or vapes,” as found in the Campus Smoke-Free Policy. Catholic University prohibits all smoking, including juuling. inside all University buildings and an individual must be at least 25 feet away from any University building when smoking outside.

Only time will tell if juuling is a fad or the replacement to cigarette smoking.