According to a Carolina Youth Tobacco Survey, the number of cigarette smoking teens in North Carolina has went down but this does not mean that the number of smokers declined. The number of those who use alternative smoking devices, which still pose health dangers, like e-cigarettes and hookahs is on the rise.
Cigarette smoking has dropped 13 percent with high school students between 2011 and 2013, with just 13.5 percent of high school students using cigarettes. But at the same time, the use of e-cigarette has risen from about 2 percent to 8 percent in students.
The use of hookahs, water-pipes flavored with tobacco, has doubled to 6 percent of high school students. Almost one-fifth of all teen tobacco consumers say they use two or more forms of tobacco.
10 percent of high school students said they are considering using electronic cigarettes - also known as "vaping", this is according to the survey obtained by The News & Observer of Raleigh.
Dr. Ruth Petersen of the Chronic Disease and Injury Section in the N.C. Division of Public Health said, "we celebrate the decline in cigarette smoking. However, this trend toward other tobacco use and dual use of tobacco products is a real cause for concern."
The health officials announced that while the drop of number of teen using cigarette should be celebrated, the rise in other tobacco use is discouraged because they are just as addictive as those regular cigarettes.
Anti-smoking advocates are concerned of the teens' health for hookah pipes and e-cigarette contains liquid nicotine which hinders brain development and progression.
"It is clear that young people do not understand the addictive nature or the potential harms of these products. I keep hearing of young people around the state describing e-cigarettes as nothing but flavored water vapor, when that is far from the truth," says Dr. Petersen.