October 12, 2011

B.C. smokers lit up phone lines calling 8-1-1 last week to get help quitting.

A total of 7,107 nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) orders were taken during the first week of the province’s smoking cessation program coming into effect Friday, Sept. 30.

The vast majority of smokers who called HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 to register for the program opted to pick up their order at a pharmacy rather than get their order mailed to the home address.

When it came to choice of product, 82 per cent of people who registered chose nicotine patches over gum to help them quit smoking.

“It’s fantastic to see such a phenomenal response in the first week to our smoking cessation program,