The University of Otago became a smoke-free campus as of January 2014. This policy represents the University's commitment to encouraging the well-being of its students, staff and visitors. Smoke-free areas around the Psychology buildings are marked in orange on this map:
Quitting smoking can be difficult as nicotine is a highly addictive drug
Our aim is to help smokers in three ways:
- To help individuals who want to quit smoking by providing them with the most suitable form of nicotine replacement therapy. Using nicotine replacement therapy and setting a quit date have been shown to increase the likelihood of quitting.
- To help individuals who want to reduce how much they smoke by providing them with nicotine replacement therapy. Using nicotine replacement therapy reduces cravings, which can be particularly helpful during the working day.
- To allow individuals who are unfamiliar with the forms of nicotine replacement therapy to try out their options. Different forms of nicotine replacement therapy suit different people.
How you can get easy access to nicotine replacement therapy
The following three nicotine replacement products are subsidised in New Zealand:
• Nicotine patches (slow release)
• Nicotine chewing gum (faster release)
• Nicotine lozenges (faster release)
The Quitcard voucher scheme allows New Zealand residents or citizens to access 4 weeks' worth of one of these products from any New Zealand pharmacy for the same cost as a standard prescription charge. Without a Quitcard voucher, the over-the-counter cost of nicotine replacement therapy is much higher than this prescription charge.
Quitcards can only be issued by registered Quitcard voucher providers. Most New Zealand pharmacists are now registered Quitcard voucher providers. In addition, several members of staff and students around the University of Otago are registered Quitcard voucher providers and they are willing to discuss the different nicotine replacement therapies. Within the Department of Psychology you can contact our registered Quitcard voucher provider:
Gareth Treharne, Associate Professor
Room 106, Mellor House
email gtreharne@psy.otago.ac.nz to arrange an appointment
For further information and smoking cessation support go to the Quitline website