NORTHUMBERLAND -- Local residents who smoke are being encouraged to take part in a new study to help them quit smoking.

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (HKPR) District Health Unit and the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) are encouraging smokers to take part in the Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients (S.T.O.P.) study.

The study is designed to determine the most effective methods to quit smoking and to evaluate the effectiveness of providing nicotine replacement therapy to Ontario smokers.

Smokers who take part in S.T.O.P.. will receive resources on ways to become tobacco-free and will be provided with a free six-week supply of nicotine patches. Participants will be asked to answer follow-up questions about their efforts to quit to help determine how effective the nicotine patches are.

Smokers interested in S.T.O.P. can call the CAMH at 1-866-484-9022 and leave their name and a daytime phone number, to see if they are eligible for the study. All S.T.O.P. participants must be 18 years of age or older and Ontario residents.