December 31, 2018<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Effective \u202aJanuary 1, 2019, smoking and all forms of tobacco use will be prohibited at all residential drug and alcohol treatment programs under contract with the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services\u2019 (DBHIDS) Community Behavioral Health (CBH) division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This policy is being enforced as a contract mandate for each of the 80 inpatient addiction treatment programs in the CBH provider network spanning four levels of care including nine detox facilities, 32 short-term rehabilitation programs, 31 long-term rehabilitation programs and eight substance use halfway houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Individuals who smoke cigarettes or use electronic nicotine delivery systems and are admitted to any of these facilities for substance use treatment will be offered medication and counseling to manage nicotine withdrawal while concurrently undergoing treatment for their admitting diagnosis. The policy applies to staff and visitors who will also be prohibited from smoking or bringing tobacco products and paraphernalia onto the premises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smoking is often part of a drug use ritual and is the leading cause of death and disability among behavioral health populations disproportionately. It is estimated that smoking-related conditions comprise 39 percent of deaths among opioid users, 40 percent among cocaine users and 49 percent among alcohol users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, tobacco use kills more people than both opioid overdoses and gun violence in Philadelphia where surveys show smoking use among those with a substance use or alcohol problem to be at around 69 percent and 48 percent respectively. Smoking use among Philadelphians who report not using drugs or alcohol hovers at around 22 percent according to surveys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Research also shows that people who have an addiction to drugs or alcohol are generally more likely to die from a smoking-related illness than from the other drugs they are ingesting. High smoking rates, frequent smoking and earlier smoking initiation render those with substance use disorder particularly vulnerable to tobacco-related harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n