Teen E-Cigarette and Hookah Use Rocketed in 2014, CDC

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has yet again confirmed the growing use of e-cigarettes among the country's teens.

Usage of e-cigarettes more than tripled among high and middle school students in 2014 the National Youth Tobacco Survey found. It also revealed that hookah smoking increased among teenagers and offset any decrease in usage of other forms of tobacco including traditional cigarettes, with no decline in overall tobacco use between 2011 and 2014.

"We want parents to know that nicotine is dangerous for kids at any age, whether it's an e-cigarette, hookah, cigarette or cigar. Adolescence is a critical time for brain development. Nicotine exposure at a young age may cause lasting harm to brain development, promote addiction, and lead to sustained tobacco use," said CDC Director Tom Frieden.

The report found that about 2 million high school goers used e-cigarettes in 2014, up from 660,000 in 2013. Non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics were biggest users of e-cigarettes.

The report called for comprehensive prevention strategies to dissuade youth from not just smoking cigarettes but other products mainly hookah and e-cigarettes.

"In today's rapidly evolving tobacco marketplace the surge in use of novel products like e-cigarettes forces us to confront the reality that the progress we have made in reducing youth cigarette smoking rates is being threatened. These staggering increases in such a short time underscore why FDA intends to regulate these additional products to protect public health," said Mitch Zeller of FDA's Center for Tobacco Products.