City of Philadelphia
Philadelphia Weekly January 8, 2019
Philadelphia’s new nicotine ban that began Jan. 1 in all city-affiliated rehabs and treatment programs is causing much trepidation and speculation.
Some people have questioned whether it’s too much to ask those trying to recover from substance use disorders to kick nicotine at the same time. Others say the move is a positive one, and the city has pushed ahead with the order, citing research in support of its anti-cigarette move.
Any treatment program under contract with Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services’ (DBHIDS) Community Behavioral Health Division (CBH) has prohibited smoking and all forms of tobacco use with the dawning of the new year. This affects 80 inpatient addiction treatment programs in the CBH provider network, including nine detox facilities, 32 short-term rehabilitation programs, 31 long-term rehabilitation programs, and eight substance use halfway houses. People in these facilities who smoke will be offered counseling and medication, such as nicotine replacement therapy and even Wellbutrin, which has been shown to help in smoking cessation.
