By Hanna Sanchez, Feb. 24, 2015, Ischoolguide.com

Schools in the country are working to combat e-cigarrette use. Some have even gone to the extent of giving harder punishments for users of this device than those using traditional cigarettes.

An e-cigarette is a device that heat a nicotine solution to produce vapor, instead of burning tobacco. These devices have become increasingly popular among teens than their traditional counterparts, Kristin Decarr of Education News wrote. This drove the schools to start cracking down on e-cigarette use as the device can also be utilized for illegal substances.

The annual government survey showed 16 percent of tenth graders and 17 percent of high school seniors have tried the device in the past month. Meanwhile, 7 percent of tenth graders and 14 percent of high school seniors have tried traditional smoking for the first time. This poll of about 41,000 students did not ask about repeated use or whether students were simply exploring.