[The pharmacist's role in smoking cessation].

Since they have very good opportunities to aid smokers in quitting smoking at clinics or pharmacies, pharmacists play an important role in encouraging smoking cessation. They should be aware of the significance of tobacco abstinence. Therapeutic assistance for cessation includes drug treatment of nicotine dependence and counseling based on behavioral science for psychological dependence. Particularly in drug treatment, pharmacists are able to exercise their professional knowledge by assisting smoking cessation from a pharmaceutical viewpoint. It is possible for any pharmacist to provide a brief smoking cessation intervention, such as asking a patient whether or not they smoke and advising them, if they smoke, to stop smoking.