One in Three High School Students Use Tobacco: CDC

About one in three high school students – 4.7 million – and about one in eight middle school students – 1.5 million – currently use tobacco products, according to a new government report.

The findings come from the new National Youth Tobacco Survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Our nation’s youth are becoming increasingly exposed to nicotine, a drug that is highly addictive and can harm brain development,” CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D., said in a news release. “Youth use of any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes, is unsafe. It is incumbent upon public health and healthcare professionals to educate Americans about the risks resulting from this epidemic among our youth.”

Among students who use tobacco, about one-third use two or more tobacco products CNN reports.