Minnesota Launches New Quitting Program For Smoking, Vaping and Chewing Tobacco

Called Quit Partner, the program offers free personal counseling over the phone and online, and sends free NRTs such as nicotine lozenges, gum, and patches, to help one wean themselves off nicotine.

In just one week within its launch, the program had already received 700 applications, and whilst purely coincidental, the timing couldn’t be better given the COVID-19 outbreak. “This is a time where anxieties are running high, depression, and it might feel like a harder time to quit, but it’s never been more important to improve your lung health and boost your immunity,” said Laura Oliven, Tobacco Control Manager with the Minnesota Department of Health.

“You can increase the likelihood of a successful quit dramatically. You’re probably two times more likely to achieve the success if you get this help.” The program lasts four weeks, and one can sign up for it twice a year.

Meanwhile, in line with previous studies, a clinical trial presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together with World Congress of Cardiology (ACC.20/WCC), concluded that smokers who used nicotine-containing e-cigarettes alongside counselling were more likely to quit smoking than those who received counselling alone.

E-Cigs are the most effective smoking cessation tools to date

Sadly, unlike health authorities in the UK, the US is still reluctant to endorse e-cigarettes as smoking cessation tools, and therefore do not recommend them alongside other NRTs in cessation programs. This is unfortunate given that research has also indicated that the hand to mouth motion that mimics smoking, makes vaping the most effective and preferred cessation method to date.

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