The Substance Use Prevention Partnership on Tuesday lauded a change in state law to make it harder for young people to get tobacco products in Lincoln County and the rest of Maine.

Under Maine Revised Statute 1555-B, as of July 1, a buyer of loose tobacco products, papers, cigarettes and cigars must be at least 21, except those who turn 18 by July 1 will be grandfathered for the next three years. 

SUPP said nicotine is the substance most commonly used by young people in Maine. While tobacco has additional hazards, including tar in smoked tobacco that causes tar build-up in lungs and blood vessels, and the threat of lung, mouth, throat, and other cancers, vaped nicotine is also a serious issue.

Vaping nicotine is lesser known, but a potentially serious threat, and is not going to be regulated like tobacco, meaning young people aged 18 can continue to purchase the products after the change in state law goes into effect.  “Parents are concerned about a new issue, since 2015, and that’s the lack of awareness of a new product, called ‘JUULS’,” said Kate Marone Martin of Healthy Lincoln County. JUULS are a type of e-cigarettes commonly used by teens and young adults. Designed to look like a thumb drive or similar device, JUULS are difficult to detect by parents, teachers and coaches. Like other e-cigarettes, they are flavored and scented to appeal to young people. They connect to a “pod,” which contains enough liquid for the vaper to inhale 200 times, and each contains about the same amount of nicotine as a pack of cigarettes.

Vaping, with traditional e-cigarettes or by “juuling,” is highly addictive, Martin said, and the other chemicals in the liquid have unknown health effects. “In addition to the nicotine, which is toxic and addictive, there are chemicals such as propylene glycol, a substance used in marine antifreeze, and other chemicals not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration for human use.” One side effect of vaping or juuling is a condition called wet lung, an inflammatory disease sparked by the immune system after inhaling toxins. It usually requires hospitalization to drain the lungs and be given IV antibiotics.

“A lot of young people don’t even realize they’re inhaling nicotine,” Martin said. “And parents don’t smell cigarettes, so they don’t know it’s a problem.”

JUUL and other e-cigarette manufacturers state clearly that their product is designed for adults, but School Resource Officer Craig Worster said at least two students at Wiscasset Middle High School were caught with JUULs in school recently. Others have been confiscated from young people at the Boothbay YMCA and elsewhere.

Martin also said it is possible to hack the pod to include marijuana oils, which are difficult to detect, even with their distinctive odors.

According to meeting participants, one of the problems is, although  the e-cigarette addiction issues are well known and young people seem to manage to obtain the JUULs and the pods without much difficulty, there is no medicinally approved method to help young people taper off their addiction once they want to quit. That’s because the normal means – nicotine patches or gums – are not indicated for people under the age of 18.