First the Snap Map, Now the JUUL Map?

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Alyssa Urff, Sahuaro News Editor

On popular social media apps, you can often see someone’s location like on the snap map from Snapchat, but now it’s getting taken further. No, there is not a literal map where someone can find you based on the last time you hit a JUUL, but there is now a system that tracks JUULs in hopes of catching underage users. JUUL labs has now introduced, Track and Trace.

As JUUL’s website states, “We are implementing product traceability that will allow us, through confiscated product, to identify where youth are obtaining JUUL products. We will share this information with FDA, and take actions immediately to address these access points for youth.”

Track and Trace allows anyone who has confiscated a JUUL (either a parent, law enforcement, or school official) to go to this website and report the serial numbers at the bottom of the device. As JUULs and other common nicotine products are only allowed to be sold to those 21 and older by most private retailers, the reports are supposed to help JUUL track where it was sold so that they can notify law enforcement and take other necessary actions like cutting off distribution with that specific location or company.

While the system is still new, they hope that the technology can get better so that underage usage is curbed. This is just one of the many strategies that the company is trying to use to stop the epidemic of teen smoking/vaping. In 2017 alone, JUUL’s revenue increased 700 percent raising it’s revenue to $224.6 million with the e-cigarette market growing 40 percent.

With JUUL being the most popular smoking device for teenagers, they’re trying everything to crack down on it. On their website alone, they have over 18 things listed regarding youth prevention along with pledging $30 million to “independent research, youth and parent education and community engagement”