Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon gets high marks for its bounty of resources to help smokers quit.

The American Lung Association ranks the state 6th among the most quit-friendly states.

Bev Stewart is with the Lung Association. She says the state makes medication and counseling available to people on Medicaid who are trying to quit.

And she says private plans have become much bigger players in cessation programs. "That's one reason Oregon ranks so high in this is that we do have a new requirement that insurance plans have to provide payment of up to $500 for cessation, which can include education and medical treatment."

The state legislature enacted the requirement in 2009, and it went into effect last year.

It's hard to say if Oregon's wealth of anti-smoking resources has helped yet.

The last year for which numbers are available is 2009.

That year, Oregon's adult smoking rate was just under 18 percent.  That’s almost three points below the national average.