JUULing
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BY THE CHILDREN’S COALITION FOR NORTHEAST LOUISIANA
aping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the aerosol, often referred to as “vapor,” produced by an e-cigarette or similar device. These devices are also known as e-cigs, vapes, vape pens, JUULs, “jeweling” or mods. More than 20% of high school students vape, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among high school students, vaping jumped 78% in 2018 from a year earlier. Middle school vaping rose 48% over the same period. E-cigarettes are battery powered and deliver nicotine through a liquid (called e-juice), which turns into a vapor when using the devices. The liquid comes in flavors, such as mint, fruit, and bubble gum, which appeals to kids. In Louisiana, just under 30 percent of high schoolers say they started vaping because a friend or family was using, while about 10 percent said they began in order to quit using other tobacco products. Last year, the Louisiana Legislature expanded a ban on smoking and vaping in elementary and secondary school buildings to include oncampus playgrounds and school buses. While teen smoking rates in Louisiana have dropped since 2011, vaping among high school students has increased by more than 600% in the same period. One sign of the pervasiveness of vaping in teen culture: JUUL, the most popular e-cigarette brand in the US, is getting the verb treatment, a la “Google that.” JUULing is now a thing, as in “I got caught Juuling during class today, so I’m stuck in detention.” 146 FEBRUARY 2019 | WWW.BAYOULIFEMAG.COM
Standing at 6’9”, Jermaine Galloway can look intimidating. But in fact, he’s a devoted, passionate man who cares about America’s (and beyond) youth and communities. That passion is the platform for what he does with Tall Cop Says Stop™. With 17 years of law enforcement experience, much of it dealing with drugs and alcohol abuse, Galloway has been providing the insights he developed on the frontline of drug interdiction to interested groups for several years. It has become his passion to help parents, teachers and other law enforcement officials to learn the signs of drug culture in their children. To date, he has trained more than 105,000 people nationwide and internationally. He will be presenting High in Plain Sight, a day-long workshop on February 15 from 8:30 to 4:30 in the Student Union Building on the ULM campus. The presentation is for parents and professional and costs $99.00. CEUs are available for Social Work, Counseling (LPC) and ADRA. You can find a direct link to registration on the Children’s Coalition Facebook page (https:// www.facebook.com/ccnela/ ) or call 318-3238775 for more information. Q: What is the most important thing parents and youth need to know about JUULing?
A: You can’t stop what you don’t know. Take the time to learn about the different kinds of e-cigarettes, what they look like and what they contain. Many types of e-cigarettes are available, but JUUL is becoming more prevalent with youth in middle and high school because of its small size, and it looks like a USB device. When using a JUUL it is often referred to as JUULing. There are several kinds of vapes that look like the JUUL, but this brand alone accounts for half of the e-cigarette market. Teens like that it can be hidden in plain sight. It looks like a flash drive and tastes like candy. We don’t know all of the ingredients in a JUUL, or what the health effects of inhaling the vapors are because it isn’t regulated by the government yet. We do know that the nicotine in one JUUL pod is the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes. Q: Why is important for parents to talk to their children about JUULing? A: In the end, the first line of defense comes down to communication and education. Kids are going to find out about it no matter where they live. There is no rural on the internet. So, instead of taking away their internet access and phones, simply develop the relationship with your children that allows the information to be discussed openly. E-cigarettes are constantly changing, and you need to know what to look for and how it works in order to talk about it. Small and rectangular, JUULs look like a USB connection while being charged, often at school or even at home in the presence of parents. A three-part system includes a charging port, vape pen and vape pod. Charging ports have USB attachments so it can be charged in a laptop. The pen sits on the charging port. Nicotine pods lodge into the top of vape pens. JUULs are activated when a user takes a drag from the top of the device (pod). The pens have on-off switches making it quick and easy to take a drag from the device. Fruity tastes and lack of a lingering odor add to youth popularity. In some stores, I have seen traditional tobacco on the back wall and JUUL vape pods at the counter top, inches from my reach.
1 in 5 high school students reported using e-cigarettes in the past month. Q: What are some common misconceptions about JUULing? A: 66% of teens think “just flavoring” is in their e-cigarette/JUUL and that vaping is less dangerous than using other tobacco products,