New Executive Order Allows Hoosiers to Get 'Quit Smoking Drugs' Without a Prescription

From Local Sources 

STATEWIDE -- Want to quit smoking? You no longer need a prescription for drugs to help you quit.

Starting August 1, you can get tobacco-cessation products from Indiana pharmacists without a prescription.

State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box says the move will help "eliminate financial and time barriers" for Hoosiers that are thinking about quitting.

"Quitting smoking is extremely difficult," Box said. “It takes some people years to get to the point where they are ready to quit. We want to remove as many barriers as possible, so when that right time comes, there are no barriers to their getting help."

Nearly 22-percent of Hoosiers smoke, including one in four pregnant women, according to data collected to the Indiana State Department of Health.

The state's Medicaid program is also scrapping co-payments for stop-smoking products used by pregnant women or women who are one year post-partum.

Indiana is the 12th state to adopt a policy or standing order allowing residents to get stop-smoking aids directly from pharmacists.