Be Wary of E-Cigarettes

Published May 16, 2018

The Tennessee Department of Health (TDOH) has an important warning for parents and students about the potential dangers of e-cigarettes.

More than 40 percent of Tennessee high school students have used some form of e-cigarette.

According to the TDOH, this alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes, often seen as less harmful, is becoming increasingly popular with middle and high school-aged students.

Juul is an often-used e-cigarette device. Many people are misinformed about Juuls, thinking they don’t contain nicotine and aren’t harmful to their health. In reality, 100 percent of Juul devices contain nicotine, and one Juulpod contains the nicotine-equivalent of an entire pack of cigarettes.

Juuls are easy to obtain online or through older students, and they look like USB drives. According to the TDOH, children who use these devices are at a higher risk of nicotine addiction and more likely to transition to traditional tobacco products in the future. It’s important that parents are aware of the dangers these devices present and have the necessary conversations with their children.

The TDOH has several informational resources for parents, listed below:

• Tennessee Department of Health’s Advisory on E-cigarettes
• Truth Initiative’s article on the Juul E-Cigarette Craze
• Electronic Cigarettes and Youth Factsheet
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Smoking and Tobacco Use