Consigning Cigarettes to the Dustbin of History
In Texas, a significant number of residents continue to struggle with tobacco addiction. According to Lorraine Reitzel, Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Houston and director of the Taking Texas Tobacco Free (TTTF) programme, this issue requires a radical change in the status quo.
Reitzel asserts that the tobacco industry's products are designed to keep people addicted, making it difficult for them to quit. She calls for a shift in the way healthcare agencies address tobacco use in Texas, emphasizing the need for more comprehensive and effective strategies.
TTTF, a programme that has received a $1.9 million grant from the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), is at the forefront of this change. The programme, launched in 2013, has already educated over 13,000 professionals about tobacco and reached approximately 645,000 others with its educational materials.
TTTF's approach is twofold. First, it focuses on education, aiming to inform both the public and professionals about the dangers of tobacco use. Second, it seeks to unburden individuals who are struggling, providing them with the support they need to quit.
Reitzel believes that tobacco use is causally related to multiple cancers and accounts for 30% of cancer deaths. In Texas, 14% of residents are cigarette smokers, and among those with psychiatric disorders or substance dependencies, this rate skyrockets to 87%.
To combat this, TTTF is equipping community mental health centers in Texas with new facilities to reduce smoking rates among their patients. The programme aims to expand into substance use treatment centres and Federally Qualified Health Centers in rural and medically underserved areas of Texas, ensuring that help is available to those who need it most.
Reitzel suggests a combination of therapy and medication as proven, scientific methods for quitting tobacco. She also emphasizes the need to destigmatize addiction to smoking, as many healthcare agencies do not screen for tobacco use, offer services for it, or refer people to a tobacco-quit line.
Reitzel places the blame for addiction to tobacco squarely on the tobacco industry and their addictive products. She encourages a shift in thinking among clinicians, stating that the old way of thinking about quitting tobacco interfering with substance use disorder treatment must be extinguished.
TTTF's ultimate goal is to increase the reach of tobacco use interventions to patients and achieve abstinence among engaged employees and patients. By taking a comprehensive approach and addressing the root causes of tobacco addiction, TTTF hopes to make a significant impact in reducing tobacco use in Texas.
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