Our Cause - Tobacco

Shaping a Healthier Future for Youth

Protecting Texas Youth from the harmful effects of tobacco use requires meaningful action at all levels from policy to prevention. The fact of the matter is, tobacco smoke causes disease and death even to those who are involuntarily exposed to it. This is unacceptable for our youth. Our children deserve the right to breathe easy knowing that they are safe from tobacco in any place they find themselves.

Texans for Safe and Drug-Free Youth seeks to eliminate underage tobacco use in all forms through accurate data sharing, youth leadership development, effective community partnerships, and support for responsible tobacco ordinances across the state.

 

Effects of Tobacco on Youth

Tobacco kills people, and the younger a person starts using tobacco products, the higher the chances are that they will experience life-threatening consequences. However, this is a problem that extends beyond the user and affects our community as a whole.

  • 31,200 youth under the age of 18 become new daily smokers each year
  • 16% of Texas middle and high school students currently use tobacco
  • 503,000 youth alive in Texas today will die prematurely from smoking
  • Texas spends $5.83 billion annually to cover health care costs directly caused by smoking
  • Second-hand smoke kills 50,000 Americans each year