Associated Press

MOSES LAKE — Two pharmacists in Moses Lake are making nicotine lollipops they say can help smokers lick their addiction to cigarettes.

Shawn and Janet Needham are compounding pharmacists, able to custom mix pharmaceuticals for individual consumer needs.

"We network with a lot of other compounding pharmacists," Shawn Needham said. "It was an idea we talked about at a conference, and we just went with it."

The Needhams manufacture the flavored, sugar-free suckers at their business, Moses Lake Professional Pharmacy. Users need a prescription, but the Needhams have the authority to prescribe the product to clients.

Nicotine salicylate is combined with a natural sweetener and flavorings such as strawberry, watermelon, cherry, lemon-lime, green apple, spearmint and cinnamon.

People who smoke in excess of one pack a day begin with a 4-milligram lollipop for the first two or three weeks, and move down to 2 milligrams for another two to three weeks.

"Not only do you get the nicotine fixation, but you also get the hand-to-mouth fixation that smokers seem to really enjoy," Shawn said. "Smokers always tell us that they like to be doing something with their hands, so a lollipop made a lot of sense."

Smokers grab for the nicotine lollipop whenever they feel the urge to light up. When the craving subsides, they put it back in its plastic wrapper until the next time it’s needed.

One sucker lasts about as long as a pack of cigarettes and sells for $5.

Shawn Needham said they started making the nicotine lollipops four months ago, and sales have been strong in recent weeks.

"The first of the year, with New Year’s resolutions, was when we really started to do a lot of them," he said.

Moses Lake High School is across the street from the pharmacy, and students with cigarettes walk by often.

"We’ve had high school kids come in and inquire about our nicotine lollipops," he said. "So, it’s a good sign that some of them know it’s bad and they want to stop."

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