Free Quit Smoking Aids: Where and How to Get

by James Bickford

Updated: August 7, 2020

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Every state in the United States has a tobacco cessation program whose mission it is to help people quit smoking. They do this in a number of ways:

Table Of Contents

1. Free Quit Smoking Aids: The Facts
2. Free Quit Smoking Aids: Getting Started
3. Calling in to the state quit smoking hotline or enrolling online
4. FAQ

Free Quit Smoking Products: The Facts

Only, not all of these services might be offered in your state. The telephone hotline is the most basic of these services, along with over-the-phone counseling and they are active in every state. Anything extra like online support or free quit smoking products is something that is determined state by state.

Each individual state decides how much money to allocate to smoking cessation programs. Based on that allocation, some state tobacco cessation programs are able to give out free smoking cessation products and some are not.

It kind of works like buying a car – there is the standard, bare-bones package, but anything extra you have to pay for it. With that said, let’s take a look at how you can get free quit smoking products in the states that do offer them.

Getting Started

While you cannot get free quit smoking products in every state, there are a few steps that you have to take before you receive free quit smoking products in the states that do offer them.

Calling in to the state quit smoking hotline or enrolling online

If you choose to call the hotline or enroll online, you will be asked to register with the quit smoking program, giving over your personal details and a short medical history to determine which quit smoking product is right for you.

Once that determination has been made by a tobacco control counselor your free smoking products can be either sent to you or you will be given a place to go where you can pick them up.
Again, depending on the state, you can either get an unlimited amount of quit smoking products or only a two week starter kit or any kind of variation on those two options. There might also be limitations on how many times per year you can request free quit smoking products.

FAQ

• My State Does Not Offer Free Quit Smoking Products, What Do I Do?

  If your state does not offer free quit smoking products through its statewide tobacco cessation program, there is still the possibility to get free quit smoking products through Medicaid coverage.

  Because of the recent expansion of Medicaid due to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, those states that have accepted federal money are required to also cover tobacco cessation products, meaning that you could get nicotine patches and gum through your Medicaid insurance.

  However, not all states have expanded Medicaid. Depending on the state that you live in, there might be co-pays and other charges required to get smoking cessation products. You have to check with your state’s Medicaid program to find out more details on whether smoking cessation products are covered.

  If you are a state employee, your state health plan might also cover smoking cessation products, but coverage varies from state to state, so you should also check with your state employee health plan to find out more.

• What Kind of Free Quit Smoking Products Can I Get?

  The kind of free quit smoking products you can get also varies from state to state. While you can get free patches, gums and lozenges in Minnesota and Arizona you cannot get anything in states like Colorado or New Jersey.

  States like Maine and Kentucky give out free quit smoking products like patches and gums but they do not give out quit smoking medications like Chantix and Zyban, the two FDA approved medications to quit smoking. While in states like Delaware and South Dakota you can get free quit smoking medication.

  Again, you have to do your own research on whether your state provides free quit smoking products since it is not a nation-wide program and each state determines how much funding they put into tobacco cessation programs.

• How Can I Find Out If My State Gives Out Free Quit Smoking Products?

  The best resource to use to find out if your state gives out free quit smoking products is the website of the North American Quitline Consortium. They have a comprehensive and current listing of all fifty states and whether or not they give out free quit smoking products. You could also call your state’s quit smoking hotline and find out more that way.

Published: July 28, 2017Updated: August 7, 2020

James Bickford
My way of understanding the significance of vaping came not only through the disruption of smoking but its effects on society as a whole. Now I bring people to vaping and bring vaping to people. I love using new gear, writing in-depth reviews and generally nerding out about vaping to like-minded people.
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