Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Ontario.
To address this the Ministry of Health Promotion has introduced the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy with new programs and investments that have been made to protect the public from exposure to second-hand smoke, through the Smoke-Free Ontario Act and the announcement of the support for legislation that would prevent smoking in vehicles with children under 16 present.
The Strategy also aims to prevent young people from picking up this deadly addiction through the proposed retail display and promotion restrictions of tobacco products under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act and the creation of High School grant programs and Youth Action alliances in all Health Unit regions.
The Ministry of Health Promotions third part of the strategy is aimed at helping Smokers to quit. The Stop Study Program has been available through various systems in providing Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRT) to Ontario smokers. More than 24 000 doses of NRT have been made available province wide through a call centre in mass distribution as well NRT has been made available through certain Health Units, pharmacies and through the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health via an on the road distribution program. Investments in the Smoker’s Helpline have made it more available to help smokers in a time when they may need someone to talk with. The promotion of the Driven to Quit Challenge through the Canadian Cancer Society has also seen more than 26 000 Ontarians take significant steps towards becoming smoke-free.
You play a very important role in helping Ontario Smokers deal and quit this addiction. Recently the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) has updated its position paper on Nicotine Replacement and added new information to its Myths vs. Facts This info can be found on the OMA website.
By asking and supporting efforts by all of your patients to quit smoking you can make a significant impact in the health of all Ontarians. In your next encounter with a smoker when you ask if they have considered quitting smoking (and that you recommend that they do) why not also leave them with some documentation like our booklets or pamphlets below. We would be please to ship supplies of any of these resources to your office. Just email us at quit@healthunit.org
