- New report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals more U.S. health centres are focused on preventing vaping than far more harmful smoking
- 57.9 per cent of mental health facilities have vape-free policies while 54.6 per cent have smoke-free policies
- 43.6 per cent of drug use centres have vape-free policies while 34.9 per cent have smoke-free policies
More mental health and drug treatment centres in the U.S. have policies to stop vaping than far more dangerous smoking, a new government report has revealed.
The data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 57.9 per cent of mental health facilities have vape-free policies while 54.6 per cent have smoke-free policies
Meanwhile, 43.6 per cent of drug use centres have vape-free policies while 34.9 per cent have smoke-free policies.
The study of 9,856 mental health facilities and 14,620 drug use treatment centres found that in 2023, counselling was the most commonly offered service to help people stop smoking.
The technique was offered by 53.1 per cent of mental health centres and 69.9 per cent of drug treatment centres. Fewer than half of facilities offered tobacco cessation pharmacotherapy (medical therapy).
No data on vaping being offered as a quit-smoking tool
Meanwhile, there was no data on vaping being offered as a tool to help people to quit smoking.
This contrasts sharply with the UK where vapes are provided by the National Health Service for free to help smokers kick the deadly habit. Numerous studies have shown that vapes are the most effective tool in helping adult smokers to quit.
The report highlights the importance of providing smokers with tools to help them quit. It says: “Evidence-based cessation treatments and tobacco-free policies support and increase smoking cessation, which has positive physical health impacts and is associated with positive behavioral health outcomes.
“Implementation of these strategies in substance use and mental health treatment facilities (behavioral health treatment facilities) could help decrease tobacco use among persons with behavioral health conditions.”
People with ‘behavioural health’ conditions more likely to smoke
It acknowledges that “[People] with mental health conditions or substance use disorders (i.e., behavioral health conditions) have a disproportionately high prevalence of commercial tobacco product use and are more likely to experience smoking-related illness than are those without such conditions.”
The report concludes that the data reveals “substantial gaps” in the tobacco cessation treatments being offered.
It says: “Supporting tobacco cessation in behavioural health treatment settings is an important component of a comprehensive approach to reducing tobacco use and related health outcomes among persons with behavioral health conditions.
“This analysis identified substantial gaps in the availability of tobacco cessation treatments and tobacco-free policies at behavioral health treatment facilities.
“Increasing implementation of tobacco-free policies and integrating tobacco cessation treatment into behavioral health care could support cessation and help decrease tobacco-related disease and might improve behavioral health outcomes.”
Variations in policies between states
The research also found large variations in smoke-free policies offered in different states. Among mental health facilities, prevalences ranged from 29.9 per cent in Nevada to 95.3 per cent in South Carolina. Among substance use facilities, prevalences ranged from 9.2 per cent in Kentucky to 87.9 per cent in Oklahoma.
The percentage of facilities with vape-free policies also varied; ranging among mental health facilities from 36.4 per cent in Nevada to 98.8 per cent in South Carolina, and among drug use facilities from 17.4 per cent in Kentucky to 90.9 per cent in Oklahoma.
The highest percentages of vape-free and smoke-free policies were reported by public agency–operated facilities. Among mental health facilities, the highest percentages of vape-free and smoke-free policies were reported by hospital inpatient facilities.
Among substance use facilities, hospital inpatient facilities had the highest percentage of vape-free policies; outpatient and hospital inpatient facilities reported similar percentages of smoke-free policies.
