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Tasmania has the second-highest smoking rate in Australia, with 17.6 per cent of adults smoking either daily or occasionally, a statistic the program hopes to curb. (ABC News: Grace Burmas)
In short:
Free nicotine patches, gum and lozenges are being offered to Tasmanians looking to quit smoking or vaping.
The program was previously only for certain priority groups, but is now available for anyone aged 12 or over.
What's next?
The free products will be on offer until the end of June 2027.
A program offering free nicotine patches, as well as gum or lozenges, to Tasmanians trying to quit smoking or vaping has been expanded to cover those aged 12 or over.
The monthly package, valued up to $100, will be available to people who reach out to QuitTas for support and who do not have any complicating health conditions.
QuitTas director Abby Smith said the products will help overcome a cost barrier faced by many Tasmanians and will be provided alongside additional support.
Abby Smith says the program has expanded beyond the initial offering to priority groups. (ABC News: Kate Nickels)
"When you combine behavioural support plus combination nicotine replacement therapy, like nicotine patches plus an oral product like gum, that actually gives people the best chances of quitting successfully," Ms Smith said.
The products were previously only offered for free to certain priority groups when QuitTas launched the program in July last year, and Ms Smith said she was "thrilled" to expand it to other Tasmanians.
Those priority groups included people aged 12 to 25, new and expecting parents, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and those eligible for a national lung cancer screening program.
QuitTas has budgeted about $144,000 towards the program for the 2026–27 financial year, which it said would support about 400 participants.
The free nicotine products would be given over a 12-week course. (ABC News: Kate Nickels)
Participant follow-up
Ms Smith said the free products would be given over a 12-week course, meaning participants could save up to $300 — in addition to what they are saving by not purchasing tobacco or vapes.
QuitTas manager Nyre Harris said counsellors would call participants regularly to check if the products were working and to be "making sure that they're successfully in their journey".
"I just want people to understand that there are different ways to quit. You don't always have to go cold turkey, you can use these products,"
Ms Harris said.
Nyre Harris says the program would also include follow-up support. (ABC News: Kate Nickels)
Ms Harris said some of the conditions which could make people ineligible for the free products would include any recent or upcoming surgeries, certain medications and heart problems.
Tasmania has the second-highest smoking rate in Australia, with 17.6 per cent of adults smoking either daily or occasionally.
QuitTas counsellor Adam Mitchell said the service had "definitely" noticed an increase in calls from young people looking to stop vaping.
"We understand that quitting can be quite a shame-inducing journey, or smoking in general, so we encourage anyone … to give us a call and we meet them we're there at,"
Mr Mitchell said.
"They don't even have to be considering actually quitting, but maybe even making a slight change, and we will greet them with warm open arms and follow them along the journey."
The expansion of the program has been facilitated through funding from the Tasmanian government and will run until the end of June 2027.