Action 9

Students flock to JUUL e-cigarettes, even in school

CHARLOTTE, NC — It's a popular e-cigarette you've probably never heard of.  But chances are, your children have.

It's called JUUL.  It looks like a thumb drive.  It even plugs into a USB port, So it's more discreet than the typical e-cigarette.

PICTURES: JUUL e-cigarettes

JUUL clearly says no to minors on its packaging, website, and even signs.  But children still inhale it, even in school, behind their teachers' backs.

Twelve-year-old Kylan Odean told Action 9 he's been offered it a couple of times.  He said he turned it down, but that JUULing is big with other students.  "Whenever they get the chance, like at recess, they might sneak it," Odean said.  "There's like woods at my school so they kind of like hide behind the trees and stuff."

If you check social media, you'll find students bragging about JUULing.  One tweet reads, "OMG You did not just hit that JUUL in your high school classroom Are u crazy!!?  Savage."  Another reads, "JUUL in school!"

One pod has as much nicotine as pack of cigarettes.  Kim Bayha, Mecklenburg County Health Department's tobacco expert, said some children can inhale a pod in a day, so the nicotine equivalent of smoking a pack per day.  "It is one of the most addictive substances out there," she said.

Bayha told Action 9 JUUL now controls more than 45 percent of the e-cig market.

"We don't know what is in this stuff.  There are chemicals that you are heating that kids then inhale into their lungs.  It has nicotine.  They're flavored so they appeal to young people and they are a gateway to smoking," N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein said.

But, in many cases, it's less expensive than smoking.  Action 9 found starter kits for just $32.

CMS said JUUL is "considered an inappropriate item under the same restriction as e-cigarettes and students would be subject to disciplinary action."

CLICK HERE TO READ THE SCHOOL POLICY

The Mecklenburg County Health Department is holding a free workshop about emerging tobacco products.  It's for educators, school nurses, and other people who work with young people.

May 8
9am - 2pm
LUESA - Land Use and Environmental Services Agency - Mecklenburg County
2145 Suttle Avenue
Charlotte, NC
Contact kimberly.bayha@mecklenburgcountync.gov to sign up.

CLICK HERE FOR TIPS FOR PARENTS ABOUT E-CIGARETTES

JUUL gave us this statement:

JUUL Labs’ mission is to eliminate cigarette smoking by offering existing adult smokers a true alternative to cigarettes. JUUL is not intended for anyone else. We strongly condemn the use of our product by minors, and it is in fact illegal to sell our product to minors. No minor should be in possession of a JUUL product.

 Our goal is to further reduce the number of minors who possess or use tobacco products, including vapor products, and to find ways to keep young people from ever trying these products. We approach this with a combination of education, enforcement, technology and partnership with others who are focused on this issue, including lawmakers, educators, community leaders and our business partners. We welcome the opportunity to collaborate and engage with parents and educators and encourage them to email us at youthprevention@juul.com.

 Some of our initiatives include:

·       Limiting the sale of JUUL on our website to ages 21+.  JUUL’s ecommerce platform incorporates industry-leading controls to help ensure minors are not able to purchase our products on our Web site.

·       Working to engage school districts across the country to deploy educational programs.

·       Actively working with law enforcement and community leaders across the country.

·       Deploying a secret shopper program to monitor age verification of retailers.