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CDC: E-Cig Use By Florida Teens Has Doubled

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - More and more high school students are getting their nicotine fix from e-cigs instead of traditional 'cancer sticks'.

The number of Florida high school students who were current users of e-cigarettes doubled in one year—from 5.4 percent in 2013 to 10.8 percent in 2014, according to the Florida Youth Tobacco Survey.  Nationwide, the number of teen e-cigarette users tripled in 2014 compared to just one year earlier, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Current use is described as using e-cigarettes at least once during the past 30 days.

Tobacco Free Florida says they are alarmed by the rapid increase in e-cigarette use among teens. They view e-cigarettes as a gateway to nicotine addiction which may lure teens into smoking actual cigarettes.

Florida has made notable progress in decreasing the number of young people who smoke conventional cigarettes. In 2014, Florida has one of the lowest high school smoking rates in the country at 7.5 percent - 9.2 percent was the national average.

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