Just so everyone knows, juuling in the bathroom is not at all discrete. Three people in one stall is a dead giveaway that something’s up, and no one thinks you’re in there sharing secrets.

I know tons of people who juul, and I’m sure you do, too. In fact, I hear people asking for “more pods, bro” pretty much every day. And it doesn’t exclusively apply to juniors and seniors. The young and innocent freshmen aren’t as naive as they look.

So what exactly is a “juul”? Most people don’t even bother to think about what it is that they’re inhaling, and that’s a major problem. Let’s face it, this idea that e-cigarettes and juuls aren’t bad for you is utterly false. And I think there’s a part of everyone that understands that. I mean, it’s pretty obvious that our lungs are supposed to inhale oxygen, not a mixture of unknown and most-likely dangerous chemicals.

A study done by Harvard found that not only does nicotine in e-cigarettes increase heart rate and raise blood pressure, but also has the ability to, “impair prefrontal brain development in adolescents, leading to attention deficit disorder and poor impulse control,” Furthermore, the flavoring in e-cigarettes may contain a chemical compound called diacetyl, which has been associated with bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare lung disease.

Now let’s talk about the unknown consequences…something everyone should think about when picking up that black rectangle. Of course they are a better alternative to cigarettes. No one is trying to argue against that. But the fact is, there are so many brands and variations of e-cigarettes that aren’t regulated by the FDA and have little to no information regarding health hazards. Who knows the long term effects of using these products?

People who vape or juul aren’t necessarily bad people. But it’s important that students are informed on the dangers of what they’re putting into their bodies. It’s also critical that students understand that school is not an appropriate place to bring drugs. Yes, nicotine is a drug! So next time you’re craving the juul, please don’t do it at school.