A recent study exposing a direct link between vaping and lung cancer has been rattling the social norms of our very own Eaglecrest High School for the last couple of weeks. And of course by the term “rattled” I am referring to the otherwise completely indifferent demeanor or less than shocked response by most of the people in our school, in the district, and in America.

      And so my question stands: Why do people continue to vape when they know of the harmful effects it can have on their health?

     “The first time I tried it I was leaving middle school, going into high school, so I was about 14,” said a student here at Eaglecrest, “ I wasn’t pressured to do it. I just figured everyone else was doing, so why not right?”

       But a trend so dangerous can begin to blur the lines between what’s right, what’s wrong, and what’s cool.

     “I think people [vape] because it’s the new thing. Smoking is a trend for older generations and today’s kids are a lot more aware of the negative effects that can come from it,” one student said.

      And while both are harmful to the human body, it’s not hard to see why teenagers have this perception of smoking and vaping.

     In any good advertisement by the vape masters themselves, Juul, the safety found in vaping as opposed to smoking will always be a highly accentuated point. Even in ads warning of the negative effects induced by vaping, it is admitted that vaping is in fact safer than smoking cigarettes.

     So how can we blame the youth of America for indulging in the latest trend, when a ploy to help smokers quit turned into a fruity flavored epidemic?

    “ I don’t plan on [vaping] a lot. The negatives don’t really bother me right now because I’m in shape and I’m athletic. But I don’t plan on abusing it in the future,” said another Eaglecrest student.

     With the only chance for a new generation unhampered with nicotine addiction riding on the self-control of a bunch of teenagers, I have the feeling that the future of Juul will be a little less smoke and mirrors, and just a lot more smoke.