The Centre for Substance Use Research (CSUR) conducted the cross-sectional study which assessed use of JUUL products in a non-probability, nationally representative sample of 9,865 U.S. adolescents between the ages of 13-17 years. Survey data was collected in November and December of 2018.  Study participants were asked whether they had used a JUUL product in the past 30 days and, if so, how they had accessed the product. Those who reported having bought JUUL products themselves were asked where and from whom they had purchased the products (e.g., a gas station or convenience store, on the internet, from a friend, etc.).

An estimated 79.6% of self-reported past 30-day JUUL users in the study had obtained the product from at least one social source (e.g., “I had someone else buy them for me” or “someone offered it to me”), and 77.5% had obtained the products exclusively from a social source. By comparison, 20% of underage JUUL users in the study reported having purchased the product themselves at least once, with the most common place of direct purchase being a “gas station or convenience store,” followed by “a grocery store,” “a vape store or other store that only sells e-cigarettes,” and “on the internet,” respectively.

The results from this study are consistent with other studies finding the majority of access to tobacco and vapor products occurs via social sourcing. The data also provide important insight into specific regulatory measures that can effectively prevent underage access. Study authors noted, “that the majority of youth users of JUUL vaping products in this study accessed JUUL products through social sources suggests that youth access to JUUL products may be more effectively reduced by laws and ordinances that have the effect of disrupting the social availability of JUUL products to youth.”

To this point, JUUL Labs has taken a series of comprehensive measures to combat social sourcing of its products, including advocating for Tobacco 21 laws which raise the minimum-purchasing age for tobacco and vapor products to 21, and have been proven to reduce underage access to tobacco and vapor products. Additionally, JUUL Labs has established bulk-purchasing limits for authorized retailers of JUUL products to limit the amount of product that can be purchased per transaction (one device and four packs of JUULpods). 

In August 2019, JUUL Labs also introduced a set of technology-based standards for retail stores that automatically blocks the sale of any JUUL product until a valid, of-age, government issued I.D. is electronically scanned to verify age and I.D. validity. These standards also automatically limit the amount of JUUL products that can be purchased to one device and four packs of JUULpods, in line with the company’s retailer bulk-purchasing limits. Data indicate that implementing this system dramatically improves retailer compliance with age-verification and bulk-purchase requirements. These actions are a part of the company’s multi-pronged strategy to prevent underage access to vapor products and curb youth use in the United States, which has emerged as a serious problem in recent years.

“These new data points are critical to helping us evaluate how adolescents access JUUL products in the real world, and to inform our own policies and actions to prevent underage use of all vapor products, including JUUL,” said Dr. Mark Rubinstein, Executive Medical Officer at JUUL Labs.

A previous peer-reviewed study published in March reported that after three months, nearly half of the participants who smoked combustible cigarettes at the start of the study and completed the three-months follow-up assessment had successfully abstained from cigarette smoking for the prior 30 days after purchasing a JUUL starter kit.

Enrolled sample: the pool of all participants that enrolled in the study at its starting point. The lower percentage numbers represent researchers’ conservative assumption that participants who dropped out of the study or did not respond to the question at one or both of the assessment points, “In the past 30 days, have you smoked a cigarette, even one or two puffs?”, were not abstinent.

Respondent sample: the pool of participants in the study who provided valid data on cigarette smoking at the three-month and six-month follow-up assessment points.

As we continue to work to provide adult smokers an alternative to cigarettes, JUUL Labs is committed to conducting and supporting durably-designed preclinical, clinical, and behavioral research examining the potential public health impact of our products. Our behavioral research program has enrolled over 70,000 participants around the world to date, with the aim of evaluating how adult smokers interact with JUUL products and which attributes impact the odds of transitioning from cigarettes to a nicotine alternative.

This research program is the backbone of what we do at JUUL Labs. We understand that it takes time to observe the real-world impact of our products, which is why we’ve set up multiple extensive, ongoing longitudinal studies that ask tens of thousands of eligible adult participants about their use of JUUL products and combustible cigarettes. We intend to conduct future follow-up assessments in this study for up to 18 months. 

Observing how participants change their behaviors over time gives us valuable insight into the role our product plays in moving adult smokers away from combustible cigarettes. With this information, we can learn what factors drive higher abstinence rates and minimize cigarette consumption among adult smokers.

This 7% increase in prior 30-day cigarette abstinence rate — between the subset of participants who completed the follow-up assessments at the three and six-month mark — is unprecedented and incredibly promising. Evaluating the potential impact of a product like JUUL on adult smokers will take time and patience, much like an adult smoker’s transition from cigarettes to an alternative. The results from this study show us that prolonged access to and use of JUUL products over time could result in a higher likelihood of refraining from smoking cigarettes.

The study found that participants who primarily used non-tobacco flavors were more likely to have not smoked a cigarette in the 30 days prior to the six-months follow-up assessment. For example, compared to those who primarily used tobacco-flavors, odds of reporting prior 30-day cigarette abstinence were 46% and 40% greater among primary users of Mint and Mango flavors, respectively.

We’re incredibly encouraged by these collective findings and the potential public health impact they present. Imagine the impact these numbers represent in the context of the world’s one billion adult smokers. Imagine if over half of those adult smokers moved away from combustible cigarettes to a nicotine alternative. That’s what we’re working towards at JUUL Labs.

Our Commitment to Scientific Research

We look forward to growing our current body of scientific evidence with more preclinical, clinical, and behavioral research. Longitudinal studies like this give us valuable insight into how adult smokers are using our products in the real world, and the results we’ve seen so far may reflect the potential that our product can help adult smokers move away from combustible cigarettes over time.

We will continue to ask the right and relevant questions and present our findings with transparency.