If smokers in Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S. can be reimbursed for products that could help them quit smoking, why aren't Canadians?

That's the question asked in an editorial in this week's Canadian Medical Association Journal, co-written by two of the journal's editors, along with two professors from the University of Calgary's Department of Medicine.

The authors note that 19 per cent of Canadians still smoke and that number has remained stagnant in recent years. They also note that all provinces have brought in legislation that prohibits smoking in workplaces and public areas.

"Why, then, do most provincial governments provide little or no direct funding for smoking cessation?" the authors ask.

The authors cite studies taht have found that quit-smoking aids, such as nicotine patches, gums and medication increase the likelihood that a smoker will be able to quit. They also note that the products are cost-effective, "with the cost per life-year saved typically being less than $5000."

Quebec is the only province that funds all drugs to help quit smoking, while the Yukon and Prince Edward Island reimburse residents for at least one product, they write.

But in Australia and the United Kingdom, all residents can receive reimbursement for stop-smoking aids, including prescription medications and over-the-counter nicotine replacements. And in the U.S., residents can receive reimbursements through Veterans Affairs and Part D Medicare.

"As an immediate first step, all provincial drug formularies should begin reimbursing evidence-based smoking cessation therapies. This will provide coverage to smokers receiving social assistance and to those over 65 years of age," they write.

Other Canadians should be reimbursed, they write, using "the substantial tax revenues collected with the sale of every tobacco product."