A popular e-cigarette is making it into the hands of teens and doctors say it’s a trend you need to know about.
The JUUL doesn’t look like your typical e-cigarette. It’s small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and looks like a large USB drive you plug into your computer. It’s inconspicuous design makes it easy for people to vape without much notice.
One Horry County student, who did not want to be identified, claims kids are “feening” for JUULs.
“Everybody always has them. Everyone always talks about them,” Sarah said.
They aren’t hard to find either. We found them at local gas stations, smoke shops, on Craigslist and even Facebook Marketplace. However, you must be 18 to purchase them.
Sarah says the e-cigarette has become popular among other students in recent months and she’s seeing kids use them inside the walls of her high school.
“Huge groups of girls and guys will go in the bathroom and go in the last stall and just smoke them,” she claimed. “Or they’ll leave class to go meet their friends to do it.”
News13 reached out to other students, parents and teachers about the issue. Some confirmed students are getting caught, while others claimed kids are JUULing as early as middle school.
We took the issue to Horry County Schools’ Director of Health and Safety Services Tammy Trulove, who said she, herself, just learned about JUULs at a conference in January.
“None of us had seen it or heard of it,” she explained. “No one really suspected any of our children were using that, and come to find out that it’s been around for a while.”
News13 requested statistics on how many JUULs it confiscates. Horry County Schools spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier said the district doesn’t keep tabs on how many JUULs it takes away – just unduplicated student counts of tobacco violations. For the 2016-2017 school year, Horry County Schools says that number was 165. Between August 23, 2017 and April 20, 2018, that number climbed to 313 tobacco violations.
Trulove says kids can get “nic sick” from JUULing, but pointed out the symptoms aren’t always easy to spot.
“It gives them a short, 5 minute buzz,” she said. “They don’t have the slurred speech. They don’t have the redness – all those other signs that we might consider.”
Trulove says it’s an issue Horry County Schools will have to address.
“Education would be our primary focus – educating children on the health effects of JUULing,” she said. “Educating our nursing staff on what is juuling and the effects you might see.”
Dr. Victor Archambeau, of Tidelands Health, says he too has seen children as young as junior high using e-cigarettes. Whether it’s a JUUL or another type of e-cig, he said use can lay the foundation for a dangerous, long-term habit.
“I don’t think they realize the long-term risks,” he said. “They start a habit now – maybe within 30, 40 years, they have some very detrimental effects down the road.”
Archambeau says nicotine has the power to impact your teens’ brain development, circulation and makes them more prone to addiction.
“I’d like to think we’re morally above going after 12 and 13 year olds to get them hooked on something,” he said.
JUUL says it “adheres to strict guidelines to insure (its) marketing is directed toward existing adult smokers.” Its website says the JUUL is not appropriate or intended for youth and does not use cartoons, caricatures or other designs aimed at attracting minors.
“We insure responsible placement of our product designed to limit exposure to an underage demographic,” JUULlabs.com states. “We support and comply with all federal and state regulations to prevent sales to minors. This includes stringent third party age verification for online sales.”
