In recent years, advocacy groups have worked toquell the teen vaping epidemic. Now, animals — including Doug the Pug! — are getting in on the efforts.
“No one knows the long term effects of JUULing, so any human who uses one is being used as a lab rat,” a rat is shown saying in the clip as two other rodents hold a sign that reads “RATS AGAINST HUMAN TESTING.”
“We did a recent survey and found out that 63 percent of young people don’t know that JUUL always contains nicotine,” Eric Asche, chief marketing officer of the Initiative, tells PEOPLE. “We know more about what’s in a bag of potato chips than what’s in a JUUL product. The threat is real. The danger is real.”
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JUUL Labs, based in San Francisco, launched its product in 2015 as an alternative to smoking cigarettes. JUUL products now represent 75 percent of e-cigarette sales at mass retail outlets and convenience stores,NPRreported this month, citing areport from Wells Fargo Securitiessenior analyst Bonnie Herzog.
“What we’re attempting to do is really come alongside young adults and educate them so they can make an informed decision,” Asche says. “JUUL is a cultural phenomenon … it’s a product that was focused on and launched targeting youth. Our goal is to use culture to win back the minds of youth and young adults.”
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Asche says that’s why the Initiative enlisted the help of internet favorite Doug the Pug for the video. The beloved dog boasts nearly 4 million Instagram followers and photos with stars likeDemi LovatoandJoe Jonas.
“I will never stop fighting JUUL!” the pug is shown saying in the clip. “Or the mailman.”
JUUL has long held that its target audience is adults. Health advocates have questioned that assertion, noting that JUUL has utilized social media to sell its products, according to NPR.
In a statement to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for JUUL said they “do not want non-nicotine users to buy JUUL products.”
Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald/Getty
Earlier this month, 22 people in the Midwest were hospitalizedwith breathing issues linked to vaping.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced thatteen use of tobacco productswas up38.3 percentin 2017-2018, saying e-cigarettes were to blame.
Last year, the Food and Drug Administrationsent out warning lettersin an effort to stop sales of JUUL andother e-cigarettesto teens, as use of the device among kids under 18 has reached “an epidemic proportion.”
source: people.com
