New Study Says More North Carolina Teens Are Using E-Cigarettes

A new study says the number of North Carolina youth using e-cigarettes is rising.

Although adolescent cigarette use is declining in the United States, researchers at UNC Chapel Hill say more North Carolina teens are using e-cigarettes. A recent study from the university's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center looked at the state's youth tobacco surveys in 2011 and 2013.  

During that time, it found that the rate of e-cigarette usage among minors had quadrupled. It also says dual users of traditional cigarettes and e-cigs increased.

Researchers said curiosity, appealing flavors and peer pressure are all factors that can push adolescents toward e-cigarettes.

Health experts have raised concerns that e-cigarettes could be harmful and say more studies are needed to understand the long-term impacts of vaping-- inhaling and exhaling the vapor that is generated by electronic cigarettes.

Although the General Assembly passed legislation in 2013 prohibiting retail stores from selling e-cigs to minors, UNC researchers say more teens are now finding easier ways to buy them online.

New federal regulations will make it more difficult for minors to vape. The Food and Drug Administration's new rules officially went into effect on Monday. Those include banning merchants from selling e-cigs to anyone under 18 and greater scrutiny of the products.