PEER-REVIEWED STUDY: ADULT SMOKERS USING JUUL DRAMATICALLY CUT QUANTITY OF CIGARETTES SMOKED

Research & Analysis

March 1, 2019

JUUL Labs issued a statement today regarding a new peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine examining cigarette reductions by adult smokers using JUUL products.

The study tracked the use patterns of 9,272 adult smokers who purchased their first JUUL starter kit from either a retail store or online (JUUL.com); the study enrollment window was within 7 days of purchase. Of these new JUUL users, 7,721 provided detailed information about the frequency and intensity of their smoking in the 30 days prior to purchase of a JUUL starter kit (baseline consumption) and the 30 days prior to a three-month follow-up after initiating on JUUL products (the three-month assessment).

Total cigarette consumption among those participants decreased approximately 73%, from 2,074,664 cigarettes (103,733 packs) per month at baseline to 551,863 cigarettes (27,593 packs) per month at the three-month assessment.

Approximately 47% of participants reported completely switching off of combustible cigarettes at the three-month follow-up assessment.  Switching was defined as not having smoked cigarettes, not even a puff, in the past 30 days.  This group’s total cigarette consumption had fallen from 929,976 cigarettes (46,499 packs) at baseline to zero cigarettes at the three-month assessment. 

The participants who responded that they had smoked a cigarette in the past 30 days were asked three further questions, including:

• “Do you now smoke cigarettes?” (every day; some days; not at all);

• “On how many of the past 30 days did you smoke cigarettes?” (1-30 days); and

• “On those days that you did smoke, how many cigarettes did you usually smoke each day? A pack usually has 20 cigarettes in it.”  

Among the participants still smoking three months after initiating JUUL products, cigarette consumption had declined 51.7% from 1,144,688 cigarettes (57,234 packs) at baseline to 551,863 cigarettes (27,593 packs) at the three-month assessment.

“We are encouraged by the growing body of peer-reviewed research demonstrating the significant impact JUUL products may have on helping adult smokers eliminate or substantially decrease their cigarette consumption,” said Kevin Burns, CEO at JUUL Labs. “Participants in this study dramatically decreased their cigarette consumption after initiating on JUUL products, consuming 73% fewer cigarettes per month, equaling over 76,000 packs.  The study results provide one more important piece of evidence in assessing the potential public health impact of JUUL products.  Our goal is to help all adult smokers completely switch off combustible cigarettes and eliminate their consumption entirely and we look forward to conducting additional research to guide us on achieving that goal.”

About the Study

JUUL Labs commissioned and funded the Centre for Substance Use Research (CSUR) to independently design, administer, and analyze the results for this study. Eligible individuals were U.S. adults aged 21 years and older who had smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime, who were smoking ‘every day’ or on ‘some days’, when they purchased their first JUUL starter kit from either a retail store or online (JUUL.com) within the past seven days (i.e. a new JUUL user).

Invitations to participate in the study appeared following purchase of starter kit listed on JUUL.com and were also inserted into the packaging of 500,000 JUUL starter kits, which were then randomly distributed to approximately 10,000 licensed store retailers. Of the 9,272 individuals who participated in the study, 7,721 provided detailed information on their smoking habits at both baseline and completed the three-month follow-up assessment.