by Andrew Wyshner ‘18 and Alena Zhang ‘18, Commentary Editors

For this editor’s set, we decided that the best way to write a commentary article on the Juul epidemic at Newark Academy was to remove ourselves from the equation. Calling it an epidemic may seem like an exaggeration, but it’s certainly become a problem—one that we need to explicitly address. This article compiles quotations from individuals of the NA student body and faculty with varying views on the matter. We hope this article provides you with a more clear picture of different perspectives in the school on both the pro and con sides of the issue.

Marketing: When asked about the issue of underage Juuling, Mrs. Rezvani said that “Considering the fact that e-cigarettes are flavored and [are small devices]—it’s such a clear market toward kids, whose prefrontal cortexes are still developing… Something for kids and parents to be aware of is the media literacy aspect of our society and… how things are directly or indirectly targeted towards certain groups of people.” One student added that “the Juul stick is very pretty.”

Health Risks: NA Student: “I personally think it’s so stupid to Juul because you are putting countless chemicals into your body just to feed an addiction, not to get high. I have lost people in my family to lung cancer and I thought we would be the generation to stop that but with Juul, I guess not.”

However, another NA student believes that “many people are misinformed on the extent to which we should be concerned about Juuling. Juuls fire at low temperatures, so there is no plastic melted, meaning [that there are] no carcinogens. The only ingredients are glycerol, propylene glycol, benzoic acid, and nicotine. Other than nicotine, those ingredients exist in our food, toothpaste, and many other consumables that we ingest daily. Nicotine on its own is not detrimental to health.”

Addiction: Another student added, “It’s just really messed up. People are so obsessed with it. And it’s really addictive. I’ve had friends say they actively want to quit and cannot; you cannot have 14-year-old kids with nicotine addictions. I also don’t think the makers of Juul do a good enough job of age verification and limiting its presence in school.” Mrs. Rezvani says that “getting addicted now can lead to risky behaviors later.”

On the other hand, one student believes that “there are are a lot of people (mainly adults) that frown upon Juuling because they associate it with smoking cigarettes, which we know is dangerous. Clearly, it is better not to be reliant on any substance, but it’s not like people are experiencing negative side effects from Juuling. I see caffeine addiction as being more dangerous and more likely to change a person.” An additional student added that “Way less kids are smoking cigarettes. While Juul may be bad for you, it is most certainly not as bad for you as a cigarette.”

The Buzz and the Cost: NA Student: “The fact that it’s so popular amongst kids our age is ridiculous because there are people out there using this to help them quit smoking, and not just for a quick buzz between classes.” Another student added that “they are a complete waste of money, a total fad, and not worth any of the trouble.”

One junior explained that “freshmen are very easily influenced by upperclassmen” when it comes to Juuling. Specifically, if a junior or senior asks, “do you want a hit of my Juul?” underclassmen are more likely to say yes due to a desire to seem “cool.” Additionally, Juuls are  “a market now—people make money off it.” Since they’re illegal, students can sell to each other at marked-up prices and high profits.

Teacher and Parent Influence: One student said, “If you want to waste your life doing it, then do it at home. Especially when your parents are spending $40,000 for you to try to learn but you spend 10% of the time getting high… doing drugs in school is stupid.” Still, the student said, “I don’t care what you do outside of school.”

The student continued, “With any issue, but especially health related things, [discussion] needs to come from a wide variety of sources—doing morning meetings, obviously health class (but that’s only 1 semester), maybe advisor group or peer group, but keeping conversation going about things [is important]. People purchase these things outside of school, so parents should be aware of money, where their kids are going, and what they’re doing, especially with Uber being accessible now.”

Independence at Newark Academy: When asked about how vaping affects our community, Mrs. Rezvani responded, “Because of this shift that it’s [now] happening at school, it’s a big slap in the face to the culture of giving our kids a lot of freedom. Unfortunately a lot of those freedoms [are] starting to be taken away. Now I think twice when someone repeatedly [asks] ‘Can I go to the bathroom?’ I’ve never felt that teaching here before. With the administration, teachers, and students, we have to think about this. Kids have so much freedom here, but obviously people are making bad choices, and it’s not helpful to the kids or to our school.”

The Culture: Mrs. Rezvani said, “It makes me think of the cigarette culture that came out in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, when everyone thought it was safe and a cool stress reliever. Then we found out there’s a direct link to cancer… [Vaping] is still so new, even though it’s been out for years. The unknown long-term health risks are the scariest aspect to me.”