Cigarette smoking among U.S. high school students at an all-time low nationally

Cigarette smoking among high school students dropped to the lowest levels since the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) began in 1991, but the use of electronic vapor products, including e-cigarettes, among students poses new challenges according to the 2015 survey results released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Although current cigarette use decreased significantly from 28 percent in 1991 to 11 percent in 2015, new data from the 2015 survey found that 24 percent of high school students reported using e-cigarettes during the past 30 days.

In May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finalized a rule extending its authority to all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. The rule includes, for the first time, a restriction on the sale of these products to minors nationwide.

Colorado does a separate, more in-depth survey on youth health behaviors. Results of the 2015 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey will be released June 20.