Smoking policies in U.S. outpatient drug treatment facilities

Most drug treatment patients smoke cigarettes, and some facilities are beginning to help patients quit. Facility smoking policies can help or hinder this effort. The present study describes smoking policies in outpatient drug treatment. It is a secondary analysis of a survey on smoking cessation treatment in outpatient methadone maintenance facilities in the United States. One clinic leader (a medical director, head nurse, or clinic director) from each of the 697 U.S. facilities was invited to participate in the study. Main outcome measures included whether clinics had a written smoking policy as well as the types of indoor and outdoor policies in place for patients and staff. A total of 408 (59%) of U.S. clinics responded. Most clinics (73%) had a written smoking policy for patients, and more (82%) had written policies for staff. Over 90% banned indoor smoking by staff and patients. Few totally banned outdoor smoking. Approximately half in some way restricted where patients (48%) and staff (55%) smoke outdoors. Compared with clinics that did not treat nicotine dependence, significantly more clinics that treated nicotine dependence had written policies on smoking and restricted outdoor smoking for patients and staff. Likewise, many public clinics and those affiliated with hospitals had outdoor smoking restrictions for patients and staff. Drug treatment facilities routinely ban alcohol use and drug dealing on their grounds. Only 1 in 10 ban smoking. Outpatient facilities should restrict or ban outdoor tobacco use in order to remain consistent with their mission and avoid sabotaging clinic efforts to treat, and patient and staff efforts to stop, smoking.