AUGUSTA — The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is reminding students headed back to school that a new law bans vaping on school grounds.

The law, which takes effect Sept. 19, was adopted by lawmakers in response to an increase in the number of students using electronic smoking devices.

E-cigarettes entered the U.S. marketplace around 2007, and since 2014, they have been the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. youth. The 2017 Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey indicates about 15 percent of high school youth reported using e-cigarettes, and about 33 percent reported that they had tried them.

Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC, said the update to Maine law is important because vaping and e-cigarettes pose serious health risks, particularly for kids, teens and young adults.