Teen E-Cigarette Use on the Rise

By Tom Coombe

The use of electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, more than doubled among middle school and high school students between 2011 and 2012.

That’s according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control, which also found that more than 75 percent of young smokers who had tried e-cigarettes in the past 30 days also smoked regular cigarettes in the same period.

The report found that the number of high school students who had ever used an e-cigarette rose from 4.7 percent in 2011 to 10 percent in 2012. 

"The increased use of e-cigarettes by teens is deeply troubling," CDC Director Tom Frieden said in a news release "Nicotine is a highly addictive drug. Many teens who start with e-cigarettes may be condemned to struggling with a lifelong addiction to nicotine and conventional cigarettes."