Last week's "No Menthol Sunday" put the spotlight on the Arizona Department of Health Services' tactical strike against smoking disparities; their upgraded Arizona Smokers Helpline (ASHLine) is dangling the carrot of good health with free nicotine replacement therapy and all-hours support for all state residents, marking a policy shift that could land a telling blow against tobacco use in the Grand Canyon State.
Historically significant, menthol cigarettes have been aggressively hawked to Black communities, roping in a substantial user base and creating a landslide of health issues. The ASHLine initiative confronts this head-on, now offering round-the-clock quit coaching via a toll-free hotline or online touchpoints, as mentioned in the Arizona Department of Health Services Director's Blog, not to mention text message encouragement with a no-wait policy on nicotine replacement orders and a nod to prevention through lung cancer screening plugs.
ASHLine’s arsenal has been bolstered, enabling them to offer a bounty of support regardless of a resident's insurance situation, and peer into the future where an envisioned 7,800 tobacco users might snuff out the habit if menthol’s siren song were muted. With Arizona showing a dip in adult smoking rates from 13.1% in 2020 to a slightly less smoky 12.7% in 2022, according to the CDC, the proof appears to be in the pudding.
It’s easy to join the quitting quest; all it takes is dialing 1-800-55-66-222 or signing up with a few keystrokes at ASHLine.org.
