Harm Reduction Journal Publishes Results From Behavioral Study Highlighting The Impact Of JUUL Use

SAN FRANCISCO, April 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Harm Reduction Journal recently published results of a behavioral study examining the role of JUUL use, JUULpod flavors, and other factors in predicting past 30-day abstinence from cigarette smoking among new users of JUUL products.

The study examined past 30-day smoking abstinence rates three months after initial JUUL product purchase among a sample of 15,456 adult smokers aged 21+ years.  Abstinence was defined as zero puffs of a combustible cigarette in the past 30 days.  Results showed that 47.1 % of the 9,272 survey participants who completed the 3-month follow-up assessment had completely abstained from smoking for the prior 30 days.  Overall, 28.3% of all 15,456 participants who began the study abstained from smoking during the reporting period.

Importantly, the study also found that participants who had exclusively used non-tobacco flavors Mango, Cucumber, Fruit, Creme, Menthol, and Mint were 30% more likely to have abstained from smoking at three months compared to those who exclusively used tobacco flavors.  In addition to being the most commonly used flavors, smokers who primarily used Mint or Mango JUULpods in the 30 days prior to the 3-month assessment were 37% and 26% more likely, respectively, to have not smoked any cigarettes in the previous 30 days compared to primary users of Virginia Tobacco flavored JUULpods.

In total, the study identified eight variables that were significant in predicting the likelihood of past 30-day smoking abstinence after using JUUL products for three months, including frequency of JUUL use, smoking heaviness and duration, place of purchase, and purchase with intent to stop smoking completely.  Future analyses will include data from the same participants at 6 and 12-month follow-up assessments after initiating use of JUUL products.

"The results of this study indicate that close to half of adult smokers who used a JUUL product for three months had abstained from smoking for the past 30 days, with even higher rates of abstinence observed among those who primarily used JUULpods in non-tobacco flavors," said Dr. Neil McKeganey, Director of the Centre for Substance Use Research (Glasgow, UK).  "Although additional follow-up research is needed, flavored JUULpods have been shown to have a significant impact in getting smokers to switch and ultimately abstain from cigarettes over a period of time.  We will continue to track this and other variables impacting smokers' likelihood of abstaining from cigarette use, including collecting additional survey data at both the 6 and 12-months mark after initiating JUUL use."

"Our mission is to improve the lives of the world's one billion smokers by eliminating cigarettes and we are encouraged by these study findings that approximately half of smokers switch away from combustible cigarettes after three months of JUUL use," said Erik Augustson, Ph.D., MPH Senior Director of Behavioral Research at JUUL Labs. "We are committed to continuing to research the potential public health impact of our products and have over 100,000 participants enrolled in behavioral studies across the world, where we are collecting data on a range of topics, including factors that improve the likelihood of completely switching from combustible cigarettes and the role responsible flavors may play in that process."

About the Study:

JUUL Labs commissioned and funded the Centre for Substance Use Research (CSUR) to independently design and administer the survey, and analyze and report the study results. Individuals were invited to participate in this study through email invitations to e-commerce customers and through inserts in JUUL starter kits distributed in retail stores across the U.S.  Eligible individuals were U.S. adults aged 21 years and older who had smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime, and had purchased their first JUUL starter kit from a U.S. retail store or through JUUL's e-commerce store at www.juul.com within the past seven days.

About JUUL Labs, Inc.

JUUL Labs is committed to improving the lives of the world's one billion adult smokers by eliminating cigarettes, the leading cause of preventable death in the world.  JUUL Labs' products are designed to help smokers switch.

JUUL Labs is equally committed to combating underage use of nicotine and tobacco products. The company launched a comprehensive action plan to address youth access, appeal, and use that includes restricting the sale of certain flavored JUULpods from traditional retail, enhancing our online age-verification, improving retailer compliance, eliminating use of Facebook and Instagram accounts and utilizing technology-based solutions to prevent youth use. We also actively support Tobacco 21 legislation to raise the minimum-purchasing age for all tobacco products, including vapor products, to 21. For more information on our mission and youth prevention initiatives, please visit https://newsroom.juul.com/.

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