WHO FUNDED THE STUDY? –

Sept. 27, 2021 – The study also found that 46 percent of participants reported that the smoking ban was impacting their decision about whether or not to seek inpatient addiction treatment. Of the participants who had at some point entered inpatient treatment within the last two years, over half (55 percent) reported they left treatment prematurely (whether voluntarily, against medical advice or kicked out).

Most starkly, of those who left treatment prematurely, 85 percent said not being able to smoke was part of their reason for leaving.

The data clearly show that banning smoking has had a negative effect on treatment initiation and retention. Several comments from participants reflected this: “If I cannot smoke, I’m afraid I will leave AMA,” “Bad enough you have to stop fentanyl, then they want you to stop cigarettes,” and “The stress of quitting something else is holding me back.”

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