Beginning this summer, Student Health and Counseling plans to offer nicotine-replacement therapy free of charge to students who qualify.
SHAC is working with the Smoke Free Environment Committee to make the transition to a smoke-free campus as easy as possible.
The program is set to kick off in August, when President David Schmidly's smoke-free policy goes into effect, and will be available as long as supplies last, said SHAC director Beverly Kloeppel.
Kloeppel said that in anticipation of UNM going smoke- or tobacco-free, the center will provide nicotine replacements for those students who feel that they will have a hard time being on campus without being able to smoke.
The Smoke Free Environment Committee has not yet decided whether the campus will be completely smoke-free. They may decide to allow designated smoking areas, at least for a period of time.
The program will be funded by the UNM Health Sciences Center, Kloeppel said.
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"We want to have this time used as a time for students who want to quit smoking, to encourage them to do so and to provide them with tools to be able to do so, because many students do not have insurance that covers smoking cessation and tobacco cessation," she said.
Working with the Campus Office of Substance Abuse Prevention, SHAC will set up smoking cessation programs that address behavioral habits that have contributed to students' addiction to smoking.
In order to receive the free nicotine replacements, in the form of chewing gum or nicotine patches, students must go to the pharmacy in SHAC and fill out a questionnaire, Kloeppel said.
The form will ask students if they are interested in being contacted about smoking cessation programs and inform students of the possible side effects that go along with the different nicotine replacements, she said.
Each student will be allowed two boxes of nicotine gum or a week's supply of nicotine patches, Kloeppel said.
Students who choose to enroll in any of the smoking cessation programs may be able to obtain more nicotine replacements through the program if they need them, she said.
Student Jacob Kline, who is a smoker, said the nicotine-replacement program is a good way for UNM to help make the transition easier for students who smoke.
"I think that if they are going to take away smoking from smokers, they should also be giving something back to them," Kline said. "For a lot of smokers, like me, smoking is something that calms me down before and in between classes, so it would be nice for UNM to give us the nicotine replacements."
Student Erin Quintana, who doesn't smoke, said the program is a positive reinforcement for smokers who want to quit and also for those who may be upset with UNM for implementing the initiative in the first place.
"I think it's a great way to help accommodate students who will more than likely have a really hard time not being able to smoke on campus," Quintana said. "I would sure rather have people on campus chewing gum instead of smoking."
