A new report from the Centers for Disease Control shows that the use of unregulated tobacco products is growing quickly among U.S. high school students. A study of teens from 2011 to 2012 showed:
- E-cigarette use more than doubled among middle and high school students.
- Hookah use has risen among high school students.
- Cigar use has increased dramatically among non-Hispanic black high school students, more than doubling since 2009.
The study showed no significant drop in student's cigarette smoking or tobacco use.
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the U.S., killing more than 1,200 every day.
The report notes that the increase in the use of electronic cigarettes and hookahs could be linked to an increase in marketing, availability, and visibility and the perception that they may be safer than cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes, hookahs, cigars and certain other new types of tobacco products are not yet subject to FDA regulation.
Read more from the 2011 and 2012 National Youth Tobacco Surveys.
