Concerned about the health effects of Juul, two Minnesota teens said they had to quit vaping cold turkey because nicotine cessation products are only available to those 18 and older.

Will Gitler, 17, and Claire Hering, 16, spoke of their determination to stop vaping in St. Paul at a press conference where state officials said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison was filing a lawsuit against Juul Labs.

Both students said they know full well what a challenge it is to quit, but teens should ask their parents, friends and doctors for assistance and support to stop the habit for good.

Minnesota’s lawsuit against Juul joins others throughout the country that allege the vaping giant marketed to teens through social media and by promoting fruity, sweet-flavored nicotine vaping juices.

Each Juul pod, which is a small capsule filled with vaping juice, can contain more nicotine than an entire pack of cigarettes.

DL-Online spoke with Dr. Anne Griffiths, a pediatric pulmonologist at Children’s Minnesota, who talked about teens addicted to vaping.

“We don’t have great ways to manage their addiction and their addiction is really strong,” said Griffiths. These are really high doses, large volumes that they inhale.”

She said when teens are admitted to the hospital for lung problems related to vaping, the time spent admitted for care gives them the chance to overcome their nicotine addiction. For kids who are among their vaping peers every day, the habit is much harder to kick.

Griffiths said the long term health effects of Juul and other e-cigarettes use are not known, but she expressed concern that the ongoing use could spur anxiety and depression.

“I’m really worried about the long-term effects in terms of what those products might do, but also in terms of the addiction pathway it’s creating,” she said.

Concerns Shared Over Health Effects of Juul

Because teens cannot legally vape or smoke, in theory, they should not be addicted to nicotine. Unfortunately, many of them have serious addictions.

According to Minnesota Department of Health survey data, the number of 11^th graders who vape increased 54 percent from 2016 to 2019. During that same time period, the percentage of 9^th graders who vape has increased 75 percent, and the percentage of 8^thgraders has increased almost 100 percent.

In a press release, AG Ellison said, “In Minnesota, we have a special duty to take on this fight. Twenty years ago, we led the nation in taking on Big Tobacco. Now Juul has stepped in to deceive consumers just like Big Tobacco did and has taken it to a whole new level. We’re not going to stand by while this company tries to deceive and addict a whole new generation of our youth.”

Juul has cornered about 75 percent of the vaping market, but other popular brands include Vuse, Blu, Logic and MarkTen XL.

Many teens believe they are only inhaling flavored water vapor, but scientists have found a variety of toxic chemicals and metals in e-cigarettes. Weed killer acrolein, toxic antifreeze ingredient diacetyl, nickel, tin, lead and cadmium are just a few of the dangerous health hazards identified in vaping fluids.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.