The Area Substance Abuse Council or ASAC out of Cedar Rapids says a new study finds a troubling statistic: kids are vaping or using e-cigarettes at a younger age, and more people are getting sick from vaping.

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) recently reported more than 2,500 cases of lung illnesses linked to vaping across the United States.

This study, which pulled data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey and was published in American Journal of Public Health, surveyed over 26,000 middle and high school students between 2014 and 2018. In 2014, only 9% of teens 14 years old or younger used e-cigarettes. But that number spiked to 29% in 2018.

Now the ASAC plans on doing more educating in 2020. The study did not examine why kids are vaping at such a young age, but workers at ASAC have some theories They say vaping is marketed towards kids with the many flavors. They have concerns that kids becoming nicotine dependent which can put them at greater risk of alcohol and drug addiction.

(Via KCRG)

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