January 27, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dr. Peter Stout, president and CEO of the Houston Forensic Science Center, will join
Texas Rep. Nicole Collier (D-Fort Worth) at anti-vaping events in Fort Worth where he
will share information about the dangers of vaping.
The two events on Tuesday and Wednesday are in collaboration with the American
Heart Association, the Fort Worth Independent School District, Fort Worth SPARC and
Rep. Collier and coincide with the consideration of anti-vaping resolutions by the Fort
Worth Independent School District Board of Education.
“The rapidly increasing numbers of students that are using vape products, whether
they contain nicotine, THC, CBD or a variety of other chemicals, is terrifying,” Dr. Stout
said.
“I have an obligation, as the head of one of the largest crime laboratories in the state
that sees what is in those pods to try and ensure people have this information. I have
three early college-age boys and the thought of what some families face with addicted
teens terrifies me,” he added.
Dr. Stout will share national data and information from Houston’s crime laboratory to
illustrate what students, teenagers and adults might really be purchasing when they
head into the local vape shop.
“Crime laboratories receive vape and e-cigarette products that have everything in them
from methamphetamine to synthetic cannabinoids. The only way to improve public
safety is to make sure people understand the dangers,” Dr. Stout said.
HFSC is a local government corporation that provides forensic services to the City of
Houston and other local agencies. HFSC is overseen by a Board of Directors appointed
by the Mayor of Houston and confirmed by the Houston City Council. Its management
structure is designed to be responsive to a 2009 recommendation by the National
Academy of Sciences that called for crime laboratories to be independent of law
enforcement and prosecutorial branches of government.
HFSC operates in seven forensic disciplines.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Ramit Plushnick-Masti
Director of Communications/PIO
media@houstonforensicscience.org
hfsctx.gov
713-703-4898 (cell)
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