New anti-smoking regulations that take effect this month for all addiction treatment centers in New York state have some center officials worried that the ban will dissuade some people with alcohol and drug problems from pursuing services, the Associated Press reported July 23.

State-operated addiction treatment centers in New York have been smoke-free for more than a decade, but the new regulations now extend the ban to privately operated facilities as well. "Oftentimes smoking was given as a reward in the day-to-day treatment programs, and we need to make sure that we're changing the culture to really promote an overall recovery plan that involves health and wellness for the optimal chance for recovery," said Karen Carpenter-Palumbo, commissioner of the state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS).

But some treatment program officials, while acknowledging the appropriateness of the state's health-driven policy stance, worry that the no-exceptions approach could make some addicts hesitant to pursue treatment. "We don't know how many people will leave, if any at all will leave," said Roy Kearse, vice president of residential services at Samaritan Village in Queens.

Treatment facilities have been given a six-month grace period during which their level of success in enforcing the ban will not have a bearing on their state certification status. Facilities also will have leeway to determine when a patient's violation of the rules must result in the person's removal from the facility.

Robert Doherty, executive director of St. Peter's Addiction Recovery Center at Albany, said his facility experienced few problems with the change since it decided more than two years ago to go smoke-free -- before the law required it. "It's a more healthy approach to providing care," Doherty said.