Ten percent of Los Angeles County high school students were users of electronic cigarette products in 2017-18, according to a new report from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Previously, only 6.5 percent of LA County high school students were reported to use e-cigarettes in the 2015-16 California Student Tobacco Survey.

While e-cigarette usage is on the rise, overall use of tobacco products among high school students has continued to fall, with some products even reaching historic lows.

“Nicotine use really detracts from a person using healthy coping skills,” said Bob Sharits, program director for The Way Out Recovery SCV. “They are learning to run to a drug to soothe themselves. It teaches teenagers to seek a quick fix for their stressers.”

Statewide, cigarette use among California high schoolers has fallen dramatically over the last decade.

Nearly 15 percent of California students reported smoking cigarettes in 2008, while the 2018 survey found only 2 percent of students smoke cigarettes, according to CDPH.

In LA County, even less students were reported to smoke cigarettes at only 1.7 percent of students.

“It appears that the social norms for smoking changed so much that most adolescents have totally rejected tobacco smoking,” the report reads. “The prevalence of e-cigarette use, however, is more worrisome.”

To share the potential dangers of vaping with the local community, the City of Santa Clarita is hosting an informational event, “Head in the Clouds: The Truth About Vaping,” open to both parents and teens.

The event is scheduled for Wednesday, September 11 at 6 p.m. in the Century Room at Santa Clarita City Hall.

The 2017-18 California Student Tobacco Survey from the CDPH is available in its entirety here.

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