Youth smoking soared in 2018 and the government blames e-cigarettes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday that tobacco use among middle and high school students had soared by over 30 percent, an increase the agency blamed on the ongoing rise of e-cigarettes.

“The skyrocketing growth of young people’s e-cigarette use over the past year threatens to erase progress made in reducing youth tobacco use,” warned CDC Director Robert Redfield. “It’s putting a new generation at risk for nicotine addiction.”