The Addictive Nature Of JUUL E-Cigarettes

Let's talk about e-cigarettes, particularly about the ones sold by JUUL Labs. Maybe you've seen them or tried them yourself, maybe, if you're a parent, you've heard about JUULing through your kids -- because it seems as if the sleek JUUL devices are everywhere.

Last week, Attorney General Maura Healey sent a letter to Massachusetts school districts saying, "Over the last few years, e-cigarette use has increased 900 percent among high school students in the United States."

The AG went on to say:

JUUL Labs has contacted Massachusetts schools to promote their "prevention education program" and offer schools a monetary incentive to pilot this program.... we urge you to explore alternative options.

Healey is asking members of the public to report retailers who are selling the product to underage teens or young adults.

In response, JUUL said in a statement that: "Earlier this year, we reached out to schools in an effort to help combat underage use. However, we no longer reach out to schools proactively."

It added that in April, JUUL Labs announced at $30 million, three-year effort to combat teenage use of their product.

Jonathan Winickoff, a practicing pediatrician at MGH, a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, and the former chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Tobacco Consortium.

Mike Siegel, researcher and professor at the Boston University School of Public Health. He writes the blog Tobacco Analysis, and he tweets @MBSiegel.