Tobacco

Texas Expands Tobacco Cessation Services - 04/05/2024

With the help of a $2 million funding increase approved by state legislators in 2023 and backed by the Texas Medical Association, the Texas Department of State Health Services will expand its tobacco cessation services, giving physicians additional resources to help patients struggling with nicotine addiction.

E-Tobacco Protocol Integrates Intervention Into EHRs - 11/13/2023

Amid high rates of e-cigarette use in adolescents and young adults, and following TMA’s legislative wins on nicotine cessation and prevention, physicians now have a seamless way to help patients quit, using their electronic health records. Read more.

Patient Care Protected: E-Cigarette Regulation and Taxation - 08/04/2023

State lawmakers gave tobacco-control advocates – among them Texas physicians – a big victory by allocating a nearly $4.3 million increase for nicotine cessation and prevention efforts.

Physician-Led Results: E-Cigarette Regulation - 06/20/2023

Texas’ new budget includes a big funding increase for tobacco cessation and prevention efforts. While a tax on e-cigarettes did not survive this session, lawmakers approved a crackdown on e-cigarette marketing to minors.

Graphic Warnings on Cigarette Packs Face Ongoing Legal Challenge - 09/09/2022

A court order – once again – has upheld enforcement of the Food and Drug Administration’s rule that cigarette packs must contain more colorful and graphic health warnings. The new deadline for implementing the rule, per the court order, is Oct. 6, 2023.

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.

FDA’s Juul Ban a Partial Win in Fight Against E-Cigarettes - 06/28/2022

The importance of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) recent order for electronic cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc. to stop selling or distributing products “cannot be overstated,” said Pasadena pediatrician Lindy Upton McGee, MD, an assistant professor

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.

Tobacco Control Coalition Requests Prevention Funds - 10/04/2021

Telling state leaders “there has never been a more important time to help tobacco users quit,” Texas Tobacco Control Partners – a coalition that includes the Texas Medical Association – is asking for a $6 million boost to state funding for tobacco-use prevention and cessation.

FDA Delays Decision on the Sale of Juul, Other Popular Vaping Products - 09/29/2021

Texas physicians should be disappointed that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently postponed a long-awaited decision on whether products by Juul – which make up 40% of the e-cigarette market – should remain in the hands of consumers, says Pasadena pediatrician Lindy McGee, MD.

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.

Health Organizations Praise E-Cigarette Investigation - 03/12/2020

The Texas Medical Association, along with numerous state health organizations, applauded Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s recent announcement of a multi-state investigation into the marketing and sales practices of JUUL Labs, which makes popular e-cigarette devices.

Sparking a Conversation on Vaping - 02/28/2020

A panel of lawmakers and physicians participated in a state Parent Teacher Association (PTA) town hall event at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday. The panel discussed the vaping health epidemic; issues with implementation of a state law passed last year that raised the minimum age to use or purchase tobacco products – including vaping devices – to 21; and the need for support to help students quit.

Public Health: Tobacco Triumph - 02/19/2020

Texas physicians got the kind of huge win on tobacco issues they haven’t seen in decades – a law to keep tobacco products away from young people.

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.

Medical Students Win TMA Foundation Grants to Help Texans - 02/03/2020

Texans in cities across the state will benefit from nearly $27,000 in Texas Medical Association Foundation (TMAF) grant funding awarded to budding physicians for health-improvement projects.

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.