Millions of American teenagers are smoking marijuana; FDA launches crackdown on "epidemic"



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A new report from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that more than 2 million American teenagers used an e-cigarette to evacuate marijuana.

>> Read more about trends

The new data, based on a representative sample of high school and high school students interviewed in the 2016 National Youth Smoking Survey, showed that 8.9% of the 20,000 students surveyed had smoked cannabis through electronic cigarettes. This means that nearly one in 11 students answered, "Yes, I used an electronic device with marijuana, THC. [tetrahydrocannabinol] or hashish oil or THC wax.

Nearly one in three high school students and about one in four high school students reported using cannabis in the devices, about 2 million young people in the country, which is much higher than what the researchers predicted.

>> Related: Atlanta parents evaluate the pros and cons of letting their teenagers vape

The number is worrisome "because cannabis use among young people can have negative effects on learning and memory and can adversely affect academic achievement and education," said Katrina Trivers, researcher principal of the CDC.

Spraying is generally considered less dangerous than smoking because burning tobacco or marijuana generates chemicals that are harmful to the lungs. But there is little research on the long-term effects of e-cigarettes, including their ability to help smokers quit.

The increase in the number of teens using e-cigarettes has alarmed health officials who worry children who will become addicted to nicotine, a stimulant, and who will be more inclined to try cigarettes.

>> Related: Community Voices: Many Consider Electronic Cigarettes as a Way to Quit Smoking

"Changes in social acceptability and access to cannabis could occur as many states consider the sale of cannabis legalized for adults," the researchers wrote in a letter published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.

The letter follows a recent statement by Commissioner Scott Gottlieb of the Food and Drug Administration, who said last week that young people are making an "epidemic". their products.

>> Related: Spray device that looks like a USB drive popular with teenagers

"In the largest coordinated coercive effort in the history of the FDA, the agency has issued more than 1,300 warning letters and money penalties (fines) to retailers who have illegally sold JUUL and other merchandise. electronic cigarette to illegal miners. -and-mortar and online stores this summer, "said the agency's release.

While critics have often argued that vaping was a partial solution to the smoking crisis in America, Gottlieb said that there were "clear signs that the use of electronic cigarettes by young people had reaches an epidemic proportion ".

"Teenagers are becoming regular users and the proportion of regular users is increasing," he added. "We will have to act."

>> Related: US officials call the "epidemic" of teenage vaping

It is not known whether marijuana use increases in adolescents or is stable. Appliances have become a multi-billion industry, but they are relatively new.

Associated Press contributed to this story.

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