Smoking products are defined as tobacco cigarettes, cigars, and pipes, and e-cigarettes.
Our advocacy efforts in smoking products cessation focus on increased funding for, and access to, evidence-based services and products. We promote cessation support to the public and to our clients living with a lung disease and promote cessation support training to health professionals.
It is critical that smoking cessation efforts do not stigmatise individuals, including people living with a lung disease, who have a history of smoking. It is important to recognise that nicotine is a harmful and highly addictive drug for which patterns of use and the development of dependence are strongly influenced by structural factors (e.g. availability, price, social pressures, regulations). For many years the tobacco industry has profited off a known harmful and addictive substance. They are extremely well resourced and continue to launch new products and challenge effective tobacco control legislation.
The document provides Lung Foundation Australia’s recommendations for cessation efforts and gives an overview of the evidence for cessation methods, Australian cessation services and products, key cessation statistics, and enablers and barriers to cessation (noting that information on each of these aspects as they relate to e-cigarette cessation is limited due to the recency of e-cigarette use).
We advise that a combination of nicotine replacement therapy and oral nicotine medications accompanied by professional behavioural support is the most effective cessation method. There is currently insufficient peer-reviewed scientific evidence for the use of e-cigarettes for tobacco cigarette cessation.
Lung Foundation Australia’s recommendations:
- Seek innovative methods to provide supportive cessation advice
- Increase and sustain funding of Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS)
- Encourage healthcare professionals to complete evidence-based cessation training
- Make nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and cessation medication free when it is provided through structured evidence-based cessation counselling
- Fund pilot programs to determine best practice nicotine cessation for young Australians
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