Juuls, the nicotine vaporizer that’s taken the world by storm, these cigarette imposters are everywhere, inside of classrooms, outside of classrooms. Everyone has them, the freshman have them, your aunt has one, that weird kid in your math class has one. “I use a juul because it looks cool” says an anonymous JCP student. Juuls seem harmless enough but taking a deeper look we see the damage they cause, they have made the teenage nicotine addiction that America had almost completely eradicated resurface. But really we are disregarding the elephant in the room, the main issue here is that Juuls and their users are appropriating the smoker culture.

The actual vape, Juuls cost $35 and Juulpods, the cartridges that actually contain the nicotine, cost only $4. Juulpods contain more nicotine as a pack of cigarettes, but cigarettes cost about $8 a pack. Sounds like a rip-off to me, a cultural rip-off.  Sure, the tax on cigarettes is supposed to make up for the cost of health insurance covering smoking afflictions, but if Juulers are going to walk the walk and vape the nicotine, then they should also have empty wallets, too, it’s only fair. Smokey Bear says “Any type of cigarette whether real or electronic should be heavily taxed.”

Smokers are often treated like second-class citizens and  are cast out into exile. Meanwhile, Juulers are blowing their strawberry-mango-pina-colada-flavored “clouds” all over the place polluting the fresh air of everyone. “Whatever happened to the good old days of secondhand smoke?” says a near west side resident. These new wave Juulers are straight up taking what they consider “smoke breaks” wherever and whenever they please with seemingly no consequences other than their pals asking for a “hit.” Juulers need to come sit in the smoking area and feel the pain of cultural expulsion.