The Real Cost commercials of teens with flash drives as cigarettes has become a reality. Juul vape pens look and charge like flash drives, making the commercial a hypothetical scenario

Juul is a new vape pen that has a similar look to a flash drive. This means anyone can pass it off as just a flash drive in school; it even plugs into a computer to charge.

I feel that anyone who made something that represents an innocent school supply is in the wrong mindset. No student should be smoking any type of nicotine or drugs, for that matter.

A Juul is a smaller form or more convenient way to vape. Each pack of pods or Juul refills is $15.99 in stores. A Juul itself costs $34.99. It’s similar look to a flash drive has teachers and parents glancing over it. The company said “It is setting itself apart from other devices with its unique closed-system technology, flavors and low-key appearance.”

The company is just calling out to teens.  Parents shared with CNN that they found the pens in their teenagers rooms, after being told that it is a flash drive by their children. They also explain that they would have just looked over them when in their child’s room if they had not been looking for the pens.

The pen became popular by social media. Students are posting videos of themselves and friends using the pen in class while the teacher is not looking. They pass it around trying to record as many people as they can smoking the device without an adult noticing.

The only positive side I see on this device is a person can only buy 15 pod packs per month. These pods are tracked on a card the buyer receives on purchase. In my eyes, that is still a lot; 15 pod packs is 60 pods. Each pod is point seven milliliter and five percent (0.035ml) is nicotine. A student has access to 2.1ml of nicotine every month.

That is 2.1ml to many for a young adult or anyone. On average, a person takes 300 puffs a day from a vape pen. The Juul only provides around 200. People are refilling their pen sooner, not knowing that a Juul is tricking them into buying more pods.

This item is a danger to high schoolers. It is directed toward teens with it resembling a USB drive. Parents should pay more attention to their children’s USB drives and so should teachers. As The Real Cost tells teens, “Don’t get hacked.”