National Non-Smoking Week - January 18-24, 2009

January 21, 2008 - Today is Weedless Wednesday - a day set aside during National Non-Smoking Week - that agencies and organizations like CAMH encourage people not to smoke for one day. Why not try and make this day your first step towards a smoke-free life?

National Non-Smoking Week runs from January 18-24, 2009 and is a time to raise awareness about the dangers and negative health effects of smoking.

To help Ontarians break the habit, CAMH, in partnership with the Ministry of Health Promotion, has launched another phase in its highly successful STOP (Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients) Study, which will provide nicotine replacement patches free of charge to 11,000 Ontarians who qualify, and will support them in their efforts to break free.

CAMH experts available for interview:

Dr. Peter Selby, Clinical Director of Addiction Programs, CAMH

- Nicotine replacement therapy and how it works

- Tips for people to begin the quitting process

- Physiological effects of cigarettes and other tobacco products

Dr. Rachel Tyndale, Scientist and Head of Pharmacogenetics, Neuroscience Department, CAMH

- Conducts genetic research to answer why some people smoke more than others;

- And why some people find it easier to break the addiction than others

To arrange interviews please contact Michael Torres, Media Relations, CAMH at (416) 595-6015.

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The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in the area of addiction and mental health. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues.

CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre.