56 nicotine dependents avail intervention therapy

(File photo)
(File photo)

SINCE the Davao City Vice Regulation Unit (VRU) introduced a new medical intervention for nicotine dependents, the Davao City Vice Regulation Unit (VRU) reported 56 patients who voluntary availed the therapy since it was introduced to the public six months ago.

VRU head Dr. Ashley Lopez said the unit recently adopted a new method of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) in the form of nicotine lozenges or “nicotine candies”.

Lopez said of the 56, 12 had already quit smoking.

The official said all of them are adult tobacco cigarette smokers.

Aside from the NRT, Lopez said they also incorporate a counseling with six months. The first three months is intended for NRT, while the remaining three months will be intended for the monitoring of the patient’s status.

A confirmatory observation will be conducted to determine whether the patients had fully rejected the consumption of cigarettes, Lopez said. He said they will be labelled as “quitters”.

Lopez said the city is one of the first in the country that conduct NRT in the form of lozenges.

In availing the mint-flavored nicotine pastilles, the patients are being assessed to determine the specific dosage they would recommend to the patients. He said they classify the patients from moderate to severe nicotine dependents.

He said a maximum dosage is about nine pastilles a day, which can be consumed between one to two hours.

“So, every time you (have the) urge to smoke, you take the candy,” Lopez said on Thursday, March 5, during the iSpeak media forum at the City Hall of Davao.

He added the number of consumed candies would gradually adjust, depending on the recommendation of the deputized doctors, and the compliance of the patients.

Lopez said that VRU centralized the NRT and counseling to all health centers in the city to accommodate those who got apprehended for violating the anti-smoking policy.

“(Amo) nang gi-centralized ang tanan natong health centers, (they) are capable of doing counseling ug kadtong probation sa atong nicotine replacement therapy. Kay dili man makaya kung ako lang (VRU), so ako na silang gi-trainings. So, tanan doctors run sa centers kabalo nana sila (We already centralized all the health centers that are also capable of doing counseling to those who are under probationary nicotine replacement therapy. VRU cannot do it alone, so we trained them, including the doctors in the center),” he said.

Lopez underscored nicotine dependence, which can be acquired through tobacco cigarette smoking, as a serious neurophysiological disorder that requires counseling and pharmacotheraphy (another term for NRT) to overcome the addiction.

He, however, clarified that it is not yet recommended for vape users, as a different intervention may be imposed.

VRU recorded over 12,000 apprehended for violating the anti-smoking ordinance of the city since 2019.

Davao City has been implementing the Anti-Smoking Ordinance, a landmark legislation since 2002 enacted under the administrations of then-City Mayor now President Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte, in his State of the Nation Address (Sona) last year, even highlighted the city’s ordinance compliance, which he wants to be imposed nationwide. (Zenler Digal and Danica Mae Ruta, UM interns/With RGL)

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