QuitNow - Smoking Cessation Programs
Addictions / Substance Use and Condition Specific Support
Provided by BC Lung Foundation
A free program for individuals in B.C. who are looking to quit or reduce tobacco and e-cigarette use.
QuitNow is a free, confidential tobacco and nicotine cessation program for people living in British Columbia who want to quit or reduce their use of tobacco and nicotine. The program is delivered by the BC Lung Foundation on behalf of the Government of British Columbia.
QuitNow partners with health care providers across the province to support clients through evidence-based cessation services that focus on behavioural and social supports. By offering multiple pathways to care, QuitNow helps ensure clients can access the type of support that best fits their needs, preferences, and circumstances.
QuitNow’s mission is to deliver responsive, evidence-based tobacco and nicotine cessation services while continuously improving quality, fostering innovation, and collaborating with healthcare and community partners across British Columbia.
QuitNow Services
QuitNow’s services are available to all British Columbia residents aged 10 and up. Recognizing that people seek support in different ways, QuitNow offers a range of behavioural and social supports designed to meet clients where they are and support successful quit or reduction attempts.
Free services include:
- A Personalized Quit Plan to build a custom roadmap, identify goals, and track progress.
- Phone a Quit Coach to receive personalized, one-on-one support to quit or reduce nicotine. Phone service is available in 300 languages with TTY services for the deaf and hard of hearing.
- Chat live with a Quit Coach for real-time advice and guidance. Translation is available in over 100 languages.
- A Text and Email Tips Program that provides motivational messages and quit strategies between coaching sessions.
- The Quit Week Contest which encourages quit attempts with the chance to win a $150 gift card.
- A Community Forum where clients can connect with peers, share experiences, and celebrate progress.
- Monthly Breakthrough Group Support Sessions that deliver quit strategies through webinar-style sessions.
- Downloadable and printable resources including step-by-step guides, toolkits, infographics, newsletters, and more.
Resources for Health Care Providers
New! Referral Portal
QuitNow recently launched a new Referral Portal to make it easier, faster, and more secure for health care providers to connect clients to tobacco and nicotine cessation support. Built in direct response to feedback from providers across BC, the portal offers a streamlined, closed-loop referral process that reduces administrative burden while improving the client experience.
The Referral Portal allows providers to submit digital referrals, track referral status in one central location, and support warm handoffs that help clients connect to QuitNow services more quickly. By replacing manual and fragmented processes with a secure online system, the portal enhances efficiency, accuracy, and continuity of care.
Key benefits of the Referral Portal include:
- Faster connections to QuitNow services through streamlined digital referrals
- Reduced administrative burden compared to fax-based processes
- A centralized hub to track referral status and outcomes
- Enhanced privacy and security for client information
- A referral process designed to align with real-world clinical workflows
Creating an account and submitting a referral takes less than 15 minutes. Click here to get started today.
Pharmacotherapy and Clinical Care
QuitNow does not provide pharmacotherapy directly. Clients are encouraged to speak with their health care providers or pharmacists to access evidence-based smoking cessation medications through the BC Smoking Cessation Program. Health care providers play a key role in assessing medication needs, supporting appropriate prescribing or dispensing, and discussing pharmacotherapy can support quit or reduction goals.
QuitNow’s behavioural and social supports are designed to complement clinical care. Evidence shows that combining pharmacotherapy with behavioural coaching leads to better quit outcomes than either approach alone. Providers are encouraged to discuss cessation medications with their clients and submit a referral to QuitNow to ensure clients receive comprehensive, coordinated support.
Health Care Provider Training and Resources
- Register for QuitNow Live, a free facilitated training designed to strengthen health care providers’ confidence in nicotine cessation counselling and treatment planning. The workshop is delivered through two 2-hour training sessions via Zoom.
- Sign up for our quarterly newsletters for health care providers
- Join quarterly webinars for health care providers, presented by experts in the field
- Order printed materials delivered straight to your office.
Helpful Videos:
1-877-455-2233
Public email: quitnow@bclung.ca
Website: https://quitnow.ca
Cost: No cost
Referral options:
- Health professional referral
- Family physician or nurse practitioner referral
- Self-referral
Associated Programs/Services
Also offered by BC Lung Foundation:
- Breathe 1-2-3: Asthma Camp for Kids
- Virtual Exercise Classes - for People with COPD and Other Chronic Lung Conditions
- COPD and Asthma Patient Support
Availability
Service area: Province-wide + show cities
Service Types Provided
Addictions / Substance Use
Condition Specific Support
Ways to Access
- Provided by phone
- Provided by text or chat
- Provided online: email / video / on-line
The listing of this service in Pathways is not a recommendation or endorsement by Pathways.