Kansas Offers Program to Help Smokers Quit the Habit

Kansas will start giving away nicotine gum, lozenges and patches next week to help smokers drop the habit.

The Wichita Eagle reports that effort will last from June 20 to July 1, or while supplies last. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is distributing the nicotine replacement products.

To participate, smokers can call the state's Tobacco Quitline. They also must enroll with a trained coach who will help them quit using tobacco.

The program is part of a national tobacco education campaign through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State health officials say nearly one in five Kansas adults smoke cigarettes and that nearly 70 percent of all cigarette smokers want to quit.