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Anyone interested in joining the British Columbia Smoking Cessation Program no longer needs to dial 811 to reach HealthLink B.C.

That's because Heath Minister Terry Lake has announced that as of January 1, people can walk into a local pharmacy to be enrolled.

This enables them to obtain free nicotine-replacement therapeutic products.

“We changed the program to make it easier for people who are trying to quit smoking, or trying again,” Lake said in a news release. “I have seen friends and family struggle to break their terrible addiction to cigarettes. I hope this improved program helps others avoid the same struggle and the health problems that come from smoking.”

The smoking-cessation program was launched in 2011 and covers the cost of nicotine gun and nicotine skin patches.

Today, the government added more choices: nicotine lozenges and inhalers.

This came after the province issued a request for proposals from suppliers. The winning bid came from Johnson and Johnson Inc. to supply Nicorette and Nicoderm products.

To date, the government has spent $38 million on encouraging people to quit; 187,000 people have enrolled, which equals 25 percent of all B.C. smokers.

Scott McDonald, CEO of the B.C. Lung Association, praised the decision to expand the program.

“After people pick up their free nicotine replacement products, I encourage them to contact Quit Now, our free support program for people trying to quit smoking or other tobacco use,” McDonald said in the news release.