“Give your throat a vacation… smoke a fresh cigarette.” Yes, that’s right: the phrase “doctor recommended” was partnered up with one of the most fatal consumer products on the market back in the 30’s through the 50’s.

Doctors and dentists not only saw cigarettes as nonchalant, but they went as far as to recommend them to their patients. It was thought of as harmless, until of course research came along 70 years later to backup how horrible the leisurely act really is. Statistics show the desensitization of audiences, but just in case you’ve totally ignored civil American society for the last 50 years, here’s a stat for you: smoking is the leading cause of preventable death, amounting in more than 480,000 deaths per year. 

Why put something in your body that you don’t have to and that you know can kill you? People eventually caught on to this and since then cigarettes have pretty much gone out of style. What was once seen as cool is now seen as the total opposite. The rise of cigarettes was great and the fall was even greater. 

Next on the rise is Juul, and is it already beginning its descent? What started off as a supposed “healthier” alternative to cigarettes for cigarette smokers, has now become something which seems to be an equally harmful way of smoking. The worst part —nonsmokers (a lot of the time teenagers) have picked up the Juul too, not using it as a means to quit smoking, but as a means to start. 

Being that they are more socially acceptable amidst public places nowadays than cigarettes, convenience is a major factor of the rise of the Juul. Maybe I’m wrong, but most people would hesitate to smoke a cigarette (or let someone smoke a cigarette) inside of their home because of the persistent smell the cigarette leaves behind, whereas the Juul doesn’t have that problem, leaving behind what some would call an attractive, flavorful smell. A more convenient smoke mixed with the fact that one Juul pod contains twenty cigarettes worth of nicotine doesn’t boil down into anything else but addiction and health issues. 

In the news at the moment, people are dying from vaping-related lung injuries (seven people on paper so far). Why exactly? We’re not sure. Juuls are fairly new and thorough research hasn’t been established yet. The Trump administration has plans to nationally ban non-tobacco flavored electronic cigarettes. Michigan has already prohibited sales of most flavored e-cigarettes, while California and New York have plans to do likewise. 

Anything you force into your lungs while coughing violently until you can tolerate it can’t be too good for you, wouldn’t you say?        

The long-term effects of the Juul are not known. Therefore, wouldn’t it be false to say that Juuls are a healthier alternative? 

It is settling to know that our generations have proved to evolve in terms of health standards. While it took cigarettes over 70 years to be deemed bad for you, it has taken the Juul less than five.