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Teen Smoking Drops To Lowest Level On Record

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Guy Bentley Research Associate, Reason Foundation
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The high school smoking rate has dropped to a record low while the percentage of students who vape has soared.

That’s according to new data from the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey from the CDC, which shows the high school smoking rate has dropped to 10.8 percent — a fall of 17 percentage points since the survey started in 1991.

The decrease is a big win for public health campaigners who have chipped away at high school smoking for decades through a combination of education and age restrictions.

“It is terrific news that the results of the 2015 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), released today by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), show that US high school students are smoking fewer cigarettes than ever in the survey’s history — a 30 percent decline since 2013. Use of other combustible products, such as cigars, is also headed down,” said Robin Koval, CEO And president Of Truth Initiative.

The CDC data shows the percentage of high school students in 2015 who used an e-cigarette in the past 30 days reached 24 percent.

“Current cigarette smoking is at an all-time low, which is great news. However, it’s troubling to see that students are engaging in new risk behaviors, such as using e-cigarettes,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden. “We must continue to invest in programs that help reduce all forms of tobacco use, including e-cigarettes, among youth.”

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asserted its authority to regulate e-cigarettes May 5 through the controversial “deeming” regulations. In the FDA’s almost 500-page rule book, e-cigarette sales were banned to minors. (RELATED: FDA Announces Rule To Ban 99 Percent Of E-Cigarettes)

The debate over e-cigarettes has been fierce with some voices in the public health community demanding even greater restrictions. Vaping advocates, however, won a big victory April, when the Royal College of Physicians, the UK’s most prestigious medical group, backed e-cigarettes as a harm reduction tool.

The RCP report concluded e-cigarettes were 95 percent less harmful than tobacco cigarettes and should be encouraged to help smokers quit.

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