More teens are vaping marijuana than thought
Proportion of regular users is increasing
A school-based survey reports nearly 1 in 11 middle and high school students has smoked marijuana using electronic cigarettes.
For a research letter published in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers analyzed 2016 National Youth Tobacco Survey results of more than 20,000 students and found 8.9 percent said they had smoked cannabis in e-cigarettes. Male students were more likely to report cannabis use.
Among those who reported vaping, nearly 1 in 3 high school students and about 1 in 4 middle school students reported using cannabis in the devices.
These findings, released Monday, are higher than previous reports on such cannabis use, authors note.
This report comes on the heels of the Food and Drug Administration commissioner declaring youth vaping an “epidemic.” The agency said it will stop sales of flavored electronic cigarettes if major manufacturers can’t prove they are trying to stop children and teens from using them.
“Teenagers are becoming regular users, and the proportion of regular users is increasing,” said Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, a physician. “We’re going to have to take action.”
The FDA also launched a first-of-itskind public service campaign against youth vaping on Tuesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2017 National Youth Tobacco Survey reported more than 2 million middle school, high school and college students vape. And, preliminary federal data shows vaping by high school students is up by about 75 percent this year.