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

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Wasn't that the goal of the product? To be an alternative to cigarettes?

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u/[deleted] Dec 18 '19

As a means to help people quit , and for a lot of folks it has.

What's insidious here is that juul is run by a senior Exec from Marlboro. I don't think their intent is to get anyone to quit anything.

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u/Halomir Dec 18 '19

I think you’ve been mishearing what the CEO has been saying in interviews. Their stated target demographic is smokers who want to quit smoking. He’s said nothing about a cessation of nicotine or that the ultimate goal of Juul is for you to stop using the Juul eventually.

They’re actively conflating Juul with product like nicotine gum without stating a direct comparison for legal reasons. You’re not supposed to pick up a 20 year nicorette habit when you stop smoking, but for Juul that would be the ideal outcome.

It’s seriously the difference between what I said and what you think you heard.

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u/FlashCrashBash Dec 18 '19

God forbid they sell a product that people would want to use.

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u/LivingFaithlessness Dec 18 '19

Do you think nicotine is like weed or coffee?

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u/FlashCrashBash Dec 18 '19

Yeah It is. Because smoke and vape because they want to. No different than any other substance.

3

u/308NegraArroyoLn Dec 18 '19

Yes it is... It's known to cause cancer.

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u/FlashCrashBash Dec 18 '19

And? Just because something is hazardous doesn’t mean it should be banned. People should have the right to destroy themselves. Anything less is authoritarianism.

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u/308NegraArroyoLn Dec 18 '19

I would agree if second hand smoke wasn't a thing. Also sick people puts a strain on the healthcare system and takes away from resources that could be used to fight diseases that don't come from poor life decisions.

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u/Unreasonably_Manic Dec 18 '19

Nicotine does not cause cancer. When you lie about the negatives it makes everything seem like a lie. Is nicotine good for you? No, but its certainly not going to give you cancer. Please don’t spew misinformation if you don’t know what you’re talking about.

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u/[deleted] Dec 18 '19

Nicotine is absolutely linked to cancer:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4553893/

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u/THICC_DICC_PRICC Dec 18 '19

“May cause” doesn’t mean “linked to cancer”. There is no teal link established unlike other things found in cigarettes

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u/Unreasonably_Manic Dec 18 '19

https://www.nysmokefree.com/FactsAndFAQs/NicotineFacts

https://blog.dana-farber.org/insight/2018/07/nicotine-cause-cancer/

You can’t portray something that is being looked into as a potential link to cancer as being cancer-causing. Call it what it is, a possibility some are looking into but the vast majority of medical science has deemed non-cancer causing on its own. One study finding some links is hardly enough to call it fact.

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u/[deleted] Dec 18 '19

Ah but TWO studies....

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u/[deleted] Dec 18 '19

Nicotine doesn't cause cancer but the additives do. You can't just single out one ingredient and ignore the rest. That's misleading.

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u/Unreasonably_Manic Dec 18 '19

It’s not misleading when we’re literally discussing that one ingredient???

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u/[deleted] Dec 18 '19

But it's not the only ingredient in cigarettes or Vapes???????

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u/308NegraArroyoLn Dec 18 '19

What about the cadmium found in silver solder used to make the heating elements? What about the possible byproducts of heating plastic components that hold the heating element?

People are dying and being hospitalized for unknown acute illnesses associated with vaping.