U.S. Teens More Likely to Use E-Cigarettes than Cigarettes

According to the National Institutes of Health, the use of e-cigarettes or vaporizers containing nicotine has become so common amongst U.S. teens that 8th through 12th graders are now more likely to use e-cigarettes than regular cigarettes.

As part of the 2018 Monitoring the Future survey, which included more than 44,000 students from 392 schools, 6 percent of 8th graders and almost 21 percent of 12th graders said they had vaped nicotine products in the past month. Only 2.2 percent of 8th graders and 7.6 percent said they had consumed cigarettes in the same time frame.

10.4 percent of 8th graders and 26.7 percent of 12th graders reported any form of vaping (nicotine, weed or just flavorings) in the past 30 days.

The NIH states that vaping exposes the lungs to different harmful chemicals and that nicotine use is generally not safe for teenagers. Since 2016, the sale of tobacco-derived products for e-cigarettes and vaporizers is limited to people who are 18 years or older.