The American Cancer Society has issued this reponse to the Alpert et al study on NRT

We are not surprised at the results of this study, because evidence is accumulating that smokers who use NRT do not often use it as directed, nor do they use it long enough to stave off relapse, suggesting that we need to educate NRT users better (and the physicians and pharmacists who recommend it) and convince the FDA that 12 weeks is not long enough for NRT to be maximally effective.

We are a bit more surprised at the authors' conclusion (although it's an argument that has been around for years), ie. that "... increasing individual treatment coverage should not be at the expense of population evidence-based programs and policies". The tobacco control field needs to stop acting as if it is involved in a zero-sum game and, instead, advocate for comprehensive tobacco control approaches that include BOTH individual and population based approaches - the data are very clear that this is what works and that it is cost-effective. Our advocacy activities should reflect that and not pit one approach against another.

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