Oregon State is a tobacco-free campus.

Student Health Services offers one-on-one nicotine treatment services for those who are thinking about or have decided to quit.

These services focus on cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigars, hookahs, vaping, E-cigarette and other types of nicotine. The American Cancer Society states that pairing Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) with a cessation program can double your chances of success.

Nicotine treatment Program

Program includes:
  • Free nicotine gum or patches.
  • Visits with a nicotine treatment nurse specialist to discuss:
    • NRT options and dosage
    • Quit date preparation 
    • Post-quit date strategies
    • And more!

Services are confidential and free to Oregon State students.

If you are not ready to meet with a health educator, but you have more questions, please call the Nurse Advice Line at 541-737-2724. If you are ready to make an appointment, please call 541-737-9355.

HOT TOPICS IN TOBACCO

There are over 800 cases (up 270 cases from 10 days ago) of lung injury reported from 46 states (including Oregon) and 1 U.S. territory (up from 38 states 10 days ago). Twelve deaths have been confirmed in 10 states (including Oregon). Two deaths have now been reported in Oregon.

Read more on our Health Alert page here.

Using tobacco products while pregnant can negatively affect your unborn babies’ health.

Many toxins found in cigarette smoke are passed to the baby through the placenta. This can deprive the baby of the food and oxygen it needs to develop properly. As a result, babies of mothers who smoke are often underweight. These babies are more likely to need special care and therefore may have to stay longer in the hospital. Some may die at birth or within the first year. Other health risks involved with smoking while pregnant include miscarriage, still births and premature births. According to the American Lung Association, "smoking during pregnancy is estimated to account for 20-30 percent of low-birth weight babies, up to 14 percent of preterm deliveries and some 10 percent percent of all infant deaths."

Some of the effects of smoking while pregnant may not show up at birth, but may begin as the baby develops. Sudden Infant Death (SIDS) is more common among babies of mothers who smoked while pregnant. Smoking during and after pregnancy may lead to asthma in children. Children of mothers who smoked while pregnant may also have learning difficulties and/or behavioral problems.

If you are pregnant, quitting will greatly improve your health AND your chances of having a healthy baby.

Secondhand smoke contains many of the same chemicals inhaled by the smoker themselves.

About 500 chemicals in secondhand smoke are known to be toxic or carcinogenic. There is no safe amount of secondhand smoke; even the smallest amounts can be harmful to your health. Non-smokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25-30 percent and increase their risk of developing lung cancer by 20-30 percent.

Secondhand smoke kills approximately 65 Oregonians each month. Ninety-one percent of Oregonians favor a smoke-free workplace.*

Children are especially vulnerable to secondhand smoke. Smoking around children is responsible for many hospitalizations, new cases of asthma, lung infections and is responsible for 40 percent of all SIDS cases.

*Information provided by the Benton County Health Department.

Light cigarettes are generally low-tar cigarettes.

The use of light cigarettes greatly increases as age, education level and income level increases. Because of the light cigarette target market, it is not surprising that women use them much more than men.

Many smokers believe that smoking low-yield or menthol cigarettes is safer than smoking regular cigarettes. Marketing tactics imply that low-yield cigarettes are less harmful. Because many smokers actually block the vents or take bigger puffs when smoking light cigarettes, they may be getting just as much tar and nicotine as from regular cigarettes.

There is no evidence that switching to light cigarettes can help a smoker quit, or improve their health. Smoking light cigarettes is dangerous and poses the same health risks as smoking regular cigarettes.