E-Cigarettes

Six Ways Lawmakers Can Help Prevent Youth Nicotine Addiction - 11/18/2024

The Texas Medical Association and the Texas Public Health Coalition are asking lawmakers to strengthen Texas’ laws aimed at keeping tobacco and e-cigarettes out of the hands of Texas youth.

TMA Backs Proposed FDA Bans on Flavoring in Cigars, Cigarettes - 07/22/2022

The Texas Medical Association recently gave enthusiastic approval to proposed federal rules designed to crack down on flavored tobacco products, a move Texas physicians say is long overdue.

Houston Includes E-Cigarettes in Anti-Smoking Ordinance - 05/04/2022

The Houston City Council scored a big win for public health when it voted unanimously to add e-cigarettes to the city’s ordinance on smoking in public places, says Pasadena pediatrician Lindy Upton McGee, MD, an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine.

Physician-Led Results: Vaping Permit Requirement Established, COVID-19 Response Mixed - 06/30/2021

Texas public health won a long-awaited victory by putting vaping products on the same regulatory footing as products made with tobacco.

Senate Committee Unanimously Passes Bill to De-Fuse Youth E-Cigarette Use - 03/31/2021

A Senate committee unanimously passed a bill today that would establish a framework for taxing e-cigarettes by requiring a person to obtain a permit from the state before selling those products.

Texas Needs More Action to Curb Tobacco Use, Health Organizations Say - 06/26/2020

While praising recent restrictions on smoking, e-cigarettes, and vaping products, a coalition of Texas health organizations called on state lawmakers to do even more to keep children from using those products.

Clearing the Haze: Texas Physicians Demystify Vaping - 02/18/2020

The rise in EVALI deaths and hospitalizations has changed the conversation about vaping and gives physicians an opportunity to champion tighter rules and higher taxes on an untested, unhealthy product that remains lightly regulated in both the U.S. and Texas.

Texas 21 Pushes to Raise the Age for Tobacco Sales - 02/03/2020

Texas 21, a coalition of 75 public health groups that includes the Texas Medical Association and two powerful state legislators, on Tuesday called for the Texas Legislature to stop the sale of tobacco to anyone under the age of 21.

Protect Texas’ Youths – Raise the Smoking Age to 21 - 02/03/2020

The younger kids are when they start using tobacco, the more likely they’ll become addicted. Exposure to tobacco and nicotine at a young age affects brain development and increases risk for nicotine dependence. With nicotine addiction and continued use into adulthood come even greater risks of lung cancer, coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other cancers, as well as early death.  If current trends continue, nearly half a million (498,000) Texas kids alive now will ultimately die prematurely from smoking.

Teach Teens to “Escape the Vape” - 02/03/2020

As a physician you understand the health risks associated with tobacco products, but how do you effectively talk to your young patients about those dangers? Well, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is here to help with a free online course entitled “Escape the Vape: Help Stop the E-Cigarette Epidemic Among Adolescents.”

CDC: More Possible Pulmonary Disease Cases Linked to Vaping Reported - 02/03/2020

Texas health officials are investigating suspected cases of pulmonary disease among people who have reported vaping, according to a health alert posted Friday.

More Cases of Severe Pulmonary Disease Associated With Vaping Identified in Texas - 02/03/2020

The number of people with pulmonary illness linked to vaping continues to rise both in Texas and nationwide. As of Monday, 263 possible cases of EVALI, or e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury, have been reported in Texas.

Medicine Pushes State Lawmakers For Stronger Policies to Curb Teen Vaping - 02/03/2020

With the recent rise in severe pulmonary illness linked to vaping and e-cigarettes, state lawmakers on Tuesday took steps to curb use of those products, particularly among children and teenagers.

Vitamin E Acetate “A Strong Culprit” in Vaping-Related Lung Injuries - 01/31/2020

Vitamin E acetate, a sticky substance used in skin lotions and vitamin supplements, could be to blame for severe lung injuries linked to vaping that have sickened more than 200 people in Texas and thousands more across the U.S., health officials said Friday.