Netflix recently released a new documentary series, Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul. In the series, they interviewed dozens of people, from Juul employees to anti-vaping activists to scientists. Though the miniseries has only four episodes, it is full of shocking revelations about how the company became so profitable – and how they hooked a generation on their devices containing nicotine.

Why it matters

According to data from the most-recent Virginia Youth Survey, more than 14% of high school students and more than 4% of middle school students in Virginia currently use e-cigarettes.

Dive into the three most revealing quotes from the series:

“I think Juul should have asked the question, ‘if we make the greatest e-cig in the world, is that a good idea? Is that a thing we should bring into the world?’ But once they decided to, a lot of what happened after that feels sort of inevitable to me.” — David Pierce, tech reporter who has covered Juul since its inception

Juul’s supposed original goal was to create a safer alternative to combustible cigarettes for adult smokers – and in doing so, they inadvertently invented a product that proved irresistible to kids and teens.

Juul succeeded over other e-cigarettes by creating a product that is sleek and discreet. Those qualities also made Juul attractive to teens, and shockingly easy to hide from their parents, teachers, and other adults in their life.

Juul’s products are problematic not only because it is appealing to teenagers – it is also dangerously addictive. Earlier e-cigarettes didn’t deliver as much nicotine as combustible cigarettes, making them unsatisfying to heavy smokers. Juul pioneered the use of nicotine salts, which are extremely strong yet also less harsh on the user’s throat. Youth who tried Juul found themselves addicted almost immediately, their developing brains bombarded by incredibly high levels of one of the world’s most addictive substances.

“When I started Juuling, I didn’t really understand that there was nicotine in Juuls…. I didn’t understand how it worked until I was wrapped up in it.” — Chance Ammirata, former underage Juul user and anti-vaping advocate 

In the company’s early days, Juul faced little restrictions, as the FDA did not begin regulating e-cigarettes until 2016. Even after regulations were put in place, it remained surprisingly easy for underage users to get their hands on a Juul. Many young users interviewed in Big Vape described getting free Juuls at the company’s promotional events or purchasing one from their local convenience store cashier known not to check IDs.  

These teen users jumped into heavy Juul use without concern – even though they did not know what the product contained. Most young vape users believed the Juul was simply water vapor, and even those who were aware it contained nicotine had no idea of the product’s full addictive and destructive capacity.  

“Juul, in its advertising, faithfully followed the playbook of big tobacco companies and their cigarette brands…. They took the very worst elements of tobacco marketing.” — Dr. Robert Jackler, tobacco marketing expert 

This quote isn’t an exaggeration – it’s no coincidence that Juul’s early marketing is eerily reminiscent of cigarette advertising. Despite positioning itself as an innovative company standing up to Big Tobacco, Juul employed many of the tobacco industry’s marketing tactics, from giving out thousands of free samples to crafting ads associating the product with a cool, care–free lifestyle.

The four-episode documentary series is available to watch on Netflix.