E-Cig Use Triples Among Middle and High Schoolers in One Year

E-cigarette use among middle school and high school students tripled in one year, reported the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday. The new data shows that e-cigarette use has surpassed the use of all tobacco products, including regular cigarettes, among young people.

The data, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, shows that e-cigarette use among high schoolers increased from 4.5% in 2013 to 13.4% in 2014. That’s a rise from about 660,000 students to 2 million, the CDC says. Use among middle schoolers rose from 1.1% to 3.9% in the same time period.

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The study looked at all forms of tobacco use and found that hookah use doubled for middle and high schoolers, and other smoking methods like cigarettes and cigars declined.

“We want parents to know that nicotine is dangerous for kids at any age, whether it’s an e-cigarette, hookah, cigarette or cigar,” said CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden in a statement. “Adolescence is a critical time for brain development. Nicotine exposure at a young age may cause lasting harm to brain development, promote addiction and lead to sustained tobacco use.”

Tobacco sources like cigarettes and smokeless tobacco are regulated by the FDA, and the agency is currently in the process of finalizing rules that would give it jurisdiction over other products including e-cigarettes. In hopes of discouraging use among kids and teens, several states have passed laws that enlist a minimum age for purchasing e-cigarettes, and many states have extended traditional cigarette bans to include e-cigarettes.