Texas Lawmakers Ignore the Evidence on Vaping and Tobacco Use

Lindsey Stroud

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released the 2023 results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a biennial survey conducted in coordination with the Texas Department of State Health Services. The YRBS monitors a range of behaviors and attitudes among high school students, including dietary habits, physical activity, mental health, and substance use.

There is encouraging news for policymakers concerned about tobacco and vapor product use: traditional tobacco use is at historic lows, and youth vaping has declined significantly since its 2019 peak. Additionally, the use of other age-restricted or illicit substances, including alcohol and marijuana, is also decreasing.

According to the 2023 YRBS, 3.4 percent of Texas high school students reported current combustible cigarette use—defined as smoking on at least one occasion in the past 30 days—while 0.8 percent reported frequent use (20 or more days), and 0.6 percent reported daily smoking.

These are record lows. Between 2001 and 2023, current cigarette use declined by 88.1 percent, frequent use dropped by 92.3 percent, and daily use fell by 91.5 percent. Current cigarette use fell from 28.4 percent in 2001 to just 3.4 percent in 2023—less than one in twenty students.

In recent years, policymakers have focused on youth use of e-cigarettes. As seen in other states, youth vaping in Texas peaked in 2019, when 48.7 percent of students reported ever trying an e-cigarette. That year, 18.7 percent reported current use, 6.5 percent were frequent users, and 4.8 percent vaped daily.

By 2023, those numbers had dropped substantially. Ever-use declined by 30.8 percent to 33.7 percent; current use fell 23 percent to 14.4 percent; frequent use dropped to 4.5 percent—a 30.8 percent decrease—and daily use declined 37.5 percent to 3 percent.

Use of other substances is also trending downward. In 2023, just 8.8 percent of Texas high school students reported binge drinking (defined as four or more drinks in a row for females or five or more for males). Marijuana use also declined, with 15.5 percent of students reporting current use—a 28.6 percent decrease from 2001, when 21.7 percent reported using marijuana.

Despite these encouraging trends, legislation passed by both chambers of the Texas Legislature seems to ignore the data. If signed by Governor Greg Abbott, the bill would ban the sale of nearly all vaping products, including those containing nicotine and hemp. Lawmakers argue the ban is necessary to curb youth access to unauthorized products.

But the data shows youth vaping is already declining, while adult use of e-cigarettes continues to rise. In 2023, an estimated 1.8 million Texas adults (7.9 percent) were current e-cigarette users, including 4.3 percent who vaped daily—35.6 percent more than the number of youth who vape. Between 2022 and 2023, adult vaping increased by 11.3 percent, and since 2016, it has grown by 68.1 percent, with more than 213,000 additional adults using e-cigarettes in 2023 alone.

Many adult e-cigarette users are current or former smokers. As a tobacco harm reduction tool, e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful than combustible cigarettes, and their use should be encouraged among adults seeking to quit smoking. Instead of enacting sweeping bans that punish adults and responsible businesses, lawmakers should focus on strengthening existing tobacco control programs and targeting the limited number of bad actors.

Nothing in this analysis is intended to influence the passage of legislation, and it does not necessarily represent the views of Tobacco Harm Reduction 101.