New Approaches to Tobacco Smoking Cessation Among People Who Use Drugs

Most people who use drugs also smoke tobacco. Only 12 percent of U.S. adults smoke cigarettes, while more than 75 percent of people with opioid use disorder smoke. Tobacco-related disease causes more deaths among people who use drugs than drug use itself: More than half of people in treatment for substance use disorder will die from tobacco-related disease. And quitting smoking is exceedingly difficult, especially for people who use drugs.

Despite the pressing need for novel approaches to reduce the harms of tobacco use among people who use drugs, tobacco harm reduction—including switching to lower-risk consumer products like e-cigarettes—has not been widely adopted by clinicians and practitioners.

But today, some clinicians and practitioners who work with people who use drugs are integrating patient-centered tobacco harm reduction into their approaches. This panel will showcase two such people, who will discuss the current evidence about reduced-risk nicotine products, how they decide whether or when to explore tobacco harm reduction with patients and clients, and how people who use drugs respond to these concepts.

Featuring:
• [Moderator] Jessica Shortall, Manager, Safer From Harm Coalition, R Street Institute
• Rachel Simon, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine; Primary Care and Addiction Medicine Physician, Bellevue Hospital Opioid Treatment Program
• Abby Coulter, Methadone Patient Advocate and Reform Specialist; Founder, Medication Assisted Treatment Support & Awareness (MATSA)
• Stephanie Campbell, Senior Vice President, Kent Strategic Advisors; SAMHSA Harm Reduction Steering Committee; National Drug Policy Advocate

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