Prisoners are trading and smoking nicotine patches following a smoking ban in Northern Territory jails, researchers have found.
The evaluation of the smoke-free policy, carried out by the Menzies School of Health Research, said patch misuse was a key finding for correctional jurisdictions to consider when planning smoke-free facilities.
"It became the most problematic aspect of what was a largely problem-free implementation," researcher Marita Hefler said in a statement on Friday.
The smoking ban in all NT prisons and correctional facilities in 2013 otherwise went surprisingly well, with no riots or major incidents.
Many prisoners told the researchers they were pleased to have given up smoking despite initially being against the ban.
In 2013, the NT became the first Australian state or territory to introduce a smoke-free policy for all correctional facilities in an effort to promote prisoner health and protect others from second-hand smoke.
Ms Hefler said the NT paved the way for other jurisdictions, with Queensland banning smoking in prisons in 2014, and Tasmania, Victoria, and NSW following suit last year.
