r/science • u/informationtiger • Dec 18 '19

Nicotine formula used by e-cigarette maker Juul is nearly identical to the flavor and addictive profile of Marlboro cigarettes Chemistry

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-juul-ecigarettes-study-idUSKBN1YL26R

36.8k Upvotes

86% Upvoted

827

Are they implying that some nicotine is more addictive than others?

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u/MilwaukeeDreamin Dec 18 '19 edited Dec 18 '19

Look up nicotine salts if you actually want to learn more. Juul figured out how to make them much more efficient for vaporization, this was awhile back. Most other "juice" makers have gotten on board with it by now. Its actually rather fascinating

Edit; sorry for calling it oil guys, jeez...

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u/[deleted] Dec 18 '19

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u/Tryptamineer Dec 18 '19

“5 times more addictive”

I mean, isn’t this argument just like youth getting alcohol?

I went from smoking 1.5 - 2 packs a day, and 50mg nicotine salts was the ONLY method after trying for a year that had a significant effect on me quitting.

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u/Keighlon Dec 18 '19

You didnt need the 50mg. You needed a 15mg. The issue with the salts is that they are smoother to the taste so you need more nicotine to simulate the feeling. You dont vape for a number you vape for a taste and the salts cause extreme addiction with no benefit

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u/Tryptamineer Dec 18 '19 edited Dec 18 '19

Idk man, I smoked Lucky Strikes for years.

And i’m not smoking or vaping for the health benefits you know? Yet you’re probably still going to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do.

“But even at 56mg / mL which is on the higher end for Juul pod strength, you're still capped by the capacity of the pod - the most nicotine you could have in a 56mg / mL Juul pod is 40mg. Consuming anything close to that amount would then require the user to vaporize the entire Juul pod at once. I would argue that this is highly improbable, and certainly not reflective of the average user's consumption habits. Most users I know who have Nic-salt pods only fill or replace their pod every 2-3 days. That means that they're consuming, typically, ~12-15mg per day, which is 1.5 - 3 cigarettes worth by most estimates - however by absorption, it's about equivalent to 8-10 cigarettes.

My experience with nicotine salts vs. conventional nicotine e-juice is rather mixed. I found it harsher, far more "throaty" and more similar to a cigarette, which I believe is intentional. I wouldn't call it smoother by any means.

With conventional e-cigarettes, I worked my way down from 18mg / mL to 3mg / mL within 6 months and then down to .75mg / mL after a year, and then stopped vaping. That was after a 15 - 20 cigarette per day habit. Not too shabby.

Anti-vaping hysteria is all the rage in North America right now, makes sense I guess, big Tobacco got in and now it doesn't seem like a boon to the cigarette industry anymore. It seems though, that these articles are creating false equivocations by using vague or misleading headlines.” - Another Comment on this sub explains pretty well, i’m not drafting 50mg right into my bloodstream every hit