Growing up, we were all told not to smoke. It would make us wheeze, turn our lungs black, give us cancer. Cigarettes were a relic of the past.

Now, few of us can be caught flicking a lighter during a smoke break. We’re puffing away discreetly: Juuling.

Look around on campus and you’ll see it — in the library, outside the Davis Center, in a bathroom.

Nobody pressures you to vape in college; it’s your choice.

The intended clients of Juul have every right to use it. It’s assumed adults know the health risks and willingly take them.

We can all agree Juuling is not healthy. But neither is drinking or smoking weed. The uproar is unwarranted when directed at adult users. Vaping is not going away.

Right now, the research is inconclusive about how harmful this habit is, aside from the nicotine content (one Juul pod is the equivalent of twenty cigarettes).

A Nov. 13 Men’s Health article stated there is not enough research to know what the consequences of Juuling are.

“Researchers have lingering questions about the long-term effects that using e-cigarettes has,” it stated.

Ask anyone, and if they don’t Juul, they know someone who does.

That includes middle and high schoolers. These students are more susceptible to trends and peer pressure, and more likely to be attracted to Juul flavors like creme brulee.

It makes sense that they’re hooked. But when we pick up the Juul, it’s a calculated decision, to quit smoking cigarettes or because you crave nicotine.

It’s popular, but also the focus of memes, Facebook exchanges and jokes.

The incorporation of Juuling in internet culture makes it seem less harmful and widely accepted.

What seems like an ironic fad is becoming the defining vice of our culture and generation. And it’s getting us all hooked, whether we reach for the vape in a moment of stress or take a few puffs at a party.

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