Texas Worst in Nation for Policies to Prevent and Reduce Tobacco Use

Texas is listed as one of the states with the worst policies to prevent and reduce tobacco use, according to the American Lung Association’s 21st annual “State of Tobacco Control” report, released today. The state earned all failing grades on this year’s report.

The “State of Tobacco Control” report evaluates state and federal policies on actions taken to eliminate tobacco use and recommends proven-effective tobacco control laws and policies to save lives. This is critical, as tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in America and takes the lives of 28,030 Texas residents each year.

“Texas lags behind when it comes to tobacco control policies, and as a result, we have higher than average adult smoking rates at 13.1% and 19.1% of high school students use a tobacco product,” said Charlie Gagen, Advocacy Director, at the American Lung Association in Texas. “This year’s budget surplus gives us an important opportunity to improve the health of our state through proven policies, such as significantly increasing the budget for the Department of State Health Services tobacco prevention and cessation programs.”

Texas Grades
The “State of Tobacco Control” report grades states and the District of Columbia in five areas that have been proven to prevent and reduce tobacco use and save lives. In the 2023 report, Texas received the following grades:

• Funding for State Tobacco Prevention Programs – Grade F
• Strength of Smokefree Workplace Laws – Grade F
• Level of State Tobacco Taxes – Grade F
• Coverage and Access to Services to Quit Tobacco – Grade F
• Ending the Sale of All Flavored Tobacco Products – Grade F

This year’s report noted the need for Texas policymakers to focus on increasing funding for tobacco prevention and quit smoking programs and increasing tobacco taxes.

An investment in prevention is especially important given the ongoing youth vaping epidemic. Despite receiving $1.8 billion from tobacco settlement payments and tobacco taxes, Texas only funds tobacco control efforts at 2.6% of the level recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Lung Association believes the funds should be used to support the health of our communities, and to prevent tobacco use and help people quit, and not switch to e-cigarettes. These programs are also critical for helping to end tobacco-related health disparities.

Similarly, one of the most effective ways to reduce tobacco use, not only among low-income individuals but also for youth, is to significantly increase the tax on all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. Multiple studies have shown that every 10% increase in the price of cigarettes reduces consumption by about 4% among adults and about 7% among youth. Texas has no tax on e-cigarettes and has not significantly increased its tobacco tax since 2006.

Federal Grades Overview
The report also grades the federal government on their efforts to eliminate tobacco use. This year, there were new steps taken by the government to prevent and reduce tobacco use, including proposed rules to end the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, Congress passing a law requiring the FDA to regulate tobacco products made with synthetic nicotine, and increased federal enforcement of the Tobacco Control Act. As a result of these steps forward, the federal government’s grade for “Federal Regulation of Tobacco Products” improved from a “D” grade last year, to a “C” grade in the 2023 report.

The 2023 “State of Tobacco Control” report grades the federal government in five areas:

• Federal Government Regulation of Tobacco Products – Grade C
• Federal Coverage of Quit Smoking Treatments – Grade D
• Level of Federal Tobacco Taxes – Grade F
• Federal Mass Media Campaigns to Prevent and Reduce Tobacco Use – Grade A
• Federal Minimum Age of Sale for Tobacco Products to 21 – Incomplete

FDA is overdue in publishing the final Tobacco 21 regulations as required by statute, which is why it earns an “incomplete.” 

To learn more about this year’s “State of Tobacco Control” grades and take action, visit Lung.org/sotc.

Media Resources:

• B-Roll is available here:
  • Smoking: Broll Smoking. American Lung Association.mp4 | Powered by Box
  • Tobacco Products: Broll TobaccoProducts. American Lung Association.mp4 | Powered by Box
  • E-Cigarettes: Broll Ecigarettes. American Lung Association.mp4 | Powered by Box
• American Lung Association logos are available here: Media | American Lung Association