“To give Coloradans the extra push they need to kick tobacco in 2018, the state health agency is reminding residents to take advantage of its free smoking-cessation programs, including two new initiatives. Coloradans who took advantage of the state’s free services had an average quit rate of 31.5 percent. By comparison, U.S. smokers who don’t participate in a cessation program fail 95 percent of the time.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment finally took its smoking-cessation services online when it launched coquitline.org earlier this year. The site is essentially the web version of the state’s longtime Colorado QuitLine, which, as its name implies, is a tobacco helpline. Users can access one-on-one counseling, register to receive free nicotine-replacement medication, and tap into a peer network of former smokers. Aside from providing a four-week supply of free nicotine gums, patches and lozenges, users can also receive a free prescription of Chantix, which is a non-nicotine medication for smoking cessation. Colorado QuitLine launched the free Chantix program in November 2016, and Coloradans are eligible for up to three months. Since then, 3,626 prescriptions have been filled, according to the department. A little more old-fashioned? The helpline is still open at 1-800-quit-now.”