DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Smoking in America is at an all-time low, but another health issue is on the rise among young adults.
Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that the number of adults who smoke dropped 11 percent in 2022.
This is down from 12.5 percent in 2020 and a massive decrease from the more than 40 percent of Americans who smoked in the 1960s, but now a new epidemic is affecting the younger generation.
Vaping is on the rise, with the medical community urging parents to not turn a blind eye.
“Nicotine, which is that kind of active substance in tobacco, is just as addictive as heroin and cocaine,” Dr. Manisha Patel with the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control said.
“That’s sobering information for a lot of people, including parents, who might dismiss their child’s use, or their young adults use as being better than traditional cigarettes.”
Medical experts are also seeing more evidence that vaping can cause longer term effects on the lungs and issues with memory in brain function.
