Teen e-cigarette use tripled between 2013 and 2014

Federal data released Thursday revealed that e-cigarette use among teenagers is sharply on the rise. Thirteen percent of middle- and high school students reported using e-cigarettes last year — a figure that tripled from 2013 to 2014.

The New York Times notes that increased use of e-cigarettes and hookah pipes caused an additional 400,000 young people to use tobacco products last year. However, the number of high school students who reported smoking traditional cigarettes decreased in 2014, down to nine percent from 16 percent.

The students interviewed claimed they "liked being part of the trend and enjoyed the taste" of e-cigarette flavors. One student told the Times that the e-cigarette flavor Unicorn Puke tasted like "every flavor Skittle compressed into one."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up