Marijuana (THC) and Nicotine Vaping Among Teens Rises Sharply
 One out of five 12th graders reported that they vaped marijuana sometime in the past year, nearly double the year before, according to recently released 2019 Monitoring the Future data. Past-year vaping of marijuana more than doubled in the past 2 years among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders.
One in four 12th graders reported vaping nicotine in the past month, along with one in five 10th graders, and nearly one in 10 8th graders. When asked why they vape, the number of 12th graders who reported vaping because they are “hooked” more than doubled from 2018 to 2019—to 8.1 percent, up from 3.6 percent.
This data points to the growing appeal of vaping. Even though e-cigarettes don’t produce tobacco smoke like regular cigarettes, vaping is not harmless. E-cigarette use exposes the lungs to a variety of chemicals, including those added to e-liquids and chemicals produced during the heating and vaporizing process. And, most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, a highly addictive drug.
This new data on nicotine vaping prompted the government to ban the sale of vaping flavors popular among teens – like mint and mango – earlier this year, which are popular among teens. And in December 2019, a new law took effect, raising the legal limit on tobacco and vaping sales to 21 in all states. Help your students learn the facts about vaping. The National Institute on Drug Abuse offers FREE lesson plans and activities to help shatter the myths for teens about vaping and more. | 
