Did you know there are more toxins in a single JUUL pod than there are countries in the world? There are 195 countries. JUUL started in 2015 with the goal of promoting a safer alternative to the world’s one billion adult smokers. However, JUUL, which was meant to be used by adult smokers, started to be used by under-age teenagers right out of the gate.

Teenagers could go to nearby retail stores or gas stations to purchase either a JUUL vape or a pack of JUUL pods. At the early stages of JUUL, they only sold four flavors. They offered fruit medley, Virginia tobacco, cool mint, and creme brulee. A pack of pods goes for about $16, containing four individual pods. JUUL also promotes “JUUL Starter Kits” for $35, it contains a JUUL vape, a  JUUL charger, and one of each of the flavored pods.

By 2017, when JUUL increased its distribution, they came out with 4 new flavors. These flavors include Mango, the highest purchased flavor, classic tobacco, cool cucumber, and classic menthol. They also started using young models and promoting the e-cigarettes towards teenagers. JUUL’s marketing team began advertising on social media and by the end of 2017, they controlled 73% of the e-cigarette market, according to CNN. Convenience stores, gas stations, and even Walgreens, the second biggest pharmaceutical in the U.S. started selling JUUL products, spreading the new epidemic.

JUUL usage is at an all-time high. Between 2017 and 2018, 78% of high schoolers and 48% of middle schoolers reported to using a JUUL because of the easy access to them, according to CNN. Ben Ellovich, a 19-year-old college student, stated, “Even before I turned 18 I could always go to a gas station and buy JUUL pods, the dude who worked there never carded me or my friends. Whenever I was in a gas station, I would see someone behind the counter selling pods to kids who clearly looked younger than 18.” Nearly 4 out of 5 high school kids has seen or used a JUUL in school, furthering the need for the FDA to look into the problem.

The JUUL thrives in school settings because its silent, odorless, and colorless features make it so hard to detect. When Ms. Marcella, one of the two school nurses for Hall High School, was asked about her opinions towards JUUL, and she said, “First of all, yes, I do think they should be banned. We don’t see any injuries from the JUUL at school, but people don’t know the generalized effects like nosebleeds, coughing, or even sores in your mouth.” Ms. Marcella, who knows about JUUL’s effects quite well due to the administrators informing the staff about the vaping epidemic, stated, “I’m very familiar with its effects and believe that we need to take another step in getting rid of them.”

JUUL products are not only a huge problem in all high schools across the U.S. but a big problem at Hall High School. The administration has had to find ways to deal with this school-wide outbreak of vaping. After surveying 15 Hall senior students at random, 11 of them said that they have used a JUUL before, and 9 of the students said they have even done it in school before. From school bathrooms being locked up to required sign out sheets in classrooms, the attempt to put an end to this problem by administration is present. Now with reinforced regulation on the sale of JUUL products, it is hoped that the use of JUULs will decrease.

The FDA took huge steps this year into regulating the problem. After investigating JUUL they started enforcing strict policies trying to reduce teenage usage. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the FDA stated, “I use the word epidemic with great care…E-cigs have become an almost ubiquitous — and dangerous — trend among teens. The disturbing and accelerating trajectory of use we’re seeing in youth, and the resulting path to addiction, must end. It’s simply not tolerable.” After this statement, JUUL spoke up and said they will stop selling “teenage friendly flavors” in all stores, including mango, creme, fruit, and cucumber. The only way to purchase those flavors now is through the JUUL website where a person needs to upload an ID proving their age is 21. After 3 years of being the top dog in the vape industry, the banning of these 4 flavors has finally made JUUL ask, “May I see your ID?”