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EDITORIALS Treat tobacco at same time as other addiction

   The state Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) has traditionally been concerned with prevention and treatment of alcohol and drug addiction. The new commissioner, Karen Carpenter-Palumbo, also wants to target tobacco, both for itself and for the role it plays in these other addictions. A regulation she proposed in July would make New York the fi rst state in the nation to require that all chemical dependence programs it funds or certifies become tobacco-free. This makes a lot of sense.
   Having served as regional vice president for the American Cancer Society prior to coming to OASAS, Carpenter-Palumbo is well acquainted with the dangers of smoking and the difficulties of kicking the nasty habit. She also knows there is a strong correlation between smoking and alcohol or drug abuse. Studies have shown that up to 92 percent of the chemically dependent population smokes, compared to a rate of just 18.2 per cent for the general population in New York state.
   Common sense and experience say this is no coincidence. Multiple addictions reflect an addictive personality. And as anyone who has ever been a smoker and drinker (even the occasional rather than addictive kind) knows, the two go together and act as triggers for each other — i.e. drinking makes you want to smoke, and smoking makes you want to drink.
   The tobacco-free policy, which would take effect July 24, 2008, and apply to patients, employees, volunteers and visitors, is already in place in OASAS’s 13 Addiction Treatment Centers around the state. The new reg, which is now being reviewed by the Governor’s Office of Regulatory Reform, would extend it to the 1,400 providers that OASAS works with. Tobacco use will be forbidden in any facilities, grounds or vehicles operated by the treatment service or its subcontractors. The Department of Health will work with OASAS to provide nicotine replacement therapy for clients who do not have coverage for that service, as well as smoking cessation training.
   For years treatment providers mistakenly believed that eliminating tobacco for alcoholics and drug addicts would be an undue hardship for them, if not an impediment to their recovery. This may help explain why a common sight outside almost any treatment center is a cluster of people smoking. But recent research shows that cutting out the smokes doesn’t hurt recovery, and in fact helps. Carpenter-Palumbo’s proposed regulation needs to be implemented.