(Eva Hambach/AFP/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) — A yearly national study on drug abuse among teenagers revealed that the number of high school seniors who vape has doubled since 2017.
Dr. Wilson Compton with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) said the increase is worrisome.
“There are several studies now that show that the teens that start with vaping devices — that start with e-cigarettes and other vaping systems — are more likely to pick up combustible smoke cigarettes in future years than the other teens,” Compton said.
However, the study also revealed that traditional cigarette smoking has decreased. About 25 percent of high school seniors they have used drugs in the past month — marijuana being the primary drug used. Misuse of other prescription drugs and opioids are down.
Generally, alcohol use is also down among teens.
“But, we still find that around 13.8 percent, or nearly one in seven high school seniors, are binge drinking in any two-week period. So, that’s an awful lot of teens potentially being poisoned by alcohol or getting into accidents,” Compton said.
WBZ NewsRadio1030’s Shari Small (@ShariSmallNews) reports