[Old School]

WASHINGTON — Pentagon health experts are urging Defense Secretary Robert Gates to ban the use of tobacco by troops and end its sale on military property, a change that could dramatically alter a culture intertwined with smoking.

Jack Smith, head of the Pentagon's office of clinical and program policy, says he will recommend that Gates adopt proposals by a federal study that cites rising tobacco use and higher costs for the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs as reasons for the ban.
The study by the Institute of Medicine, requested by the VA and Pentagon, calls for a phased-in ban over a period of years, perhaps up to 20. "We'll certainly be taking that recommendation forward," Smith says.
A tobacco ban would confront a military culture, the report says, in which "the image of the battle-weary soldier in fatigues and helmet, fighting for his country, has frequently included his lit cigarette."
Also, the report said, troops worn out by repeated deployments often rely on cigarettes as a "stress reliever." The study found that tobacco use in the military increased after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began.

Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said the department supports a smoke-free military "and believes it is achievable." She declined to elaborate on any possible ban.
One in three servicemembers use tobacco, the report says, compared with one in five adult Americans. The heaviest smokers are soldiers and Marines, who have done most of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the study says. About 37% of soldiers use tobacco and 36% of Marines. Combat veterans are 50% more likely to use tobacco than troops who haven't seen combat.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/20...king_N.htm

[Stardust]

NEVER Happen!

[TidesHoss32]

Yeah....**** smokers...thats why this country has fallen apart. Ban smoking and the worlds problems are solved. Give me a friggin break.

[Old School]

What concerns me is that according to the report "Tobacco use costs the Pentagon $846 million a year in medical care and lost productivity, says the report, which used older data. The Department of Veterans Affairs spends up to $6 billion in treatments for tobacco-related illnesses, says the study, which was released late last month." What will happen if/when we get Government sponsored Universal Health Care?

Do you think this administration is bold enough to try to ban tobacco use of everyone covered under their policy?

[TheRealVille]

This is where I'll probably agree with most of you here. I am in no way for banning tobacco in the military. I couldn't even think of sending a soldier into a hostile area( where he might die) and expect him not to smoke or chew if he wanted. I hate cigarettes, the smell, the whole nine yards of smoking, yet it's not our business, or even wise, to ban it in the military.

[TidesHoss32]

Excellent post. I agree 150% with you in everything you just wrote..Excellent:Thumbs:

This is where I'll probably agree with most of you here. I am in no way for banning tobacco in the military. I couldn't even think of sending a soldier into a hostile area( where he might die) and expect him not to smoke or chew if he wanted. I hate cigarettes, the smell, the whole nine yards of smoking, yet it's not our business, or even wise, to ban it in the military.

[Stardust]

This is where I'll probably agree with most of you here. I am in no way for banning tobacco in the military. I couldn't even think of sending a soldier into a hostile area( where he might die) and expect him not to smoke or chew if he wanted. I hate cigarettes, the smell, the whole nine yards of smoking, yet it's not our business, or even wise, to ban it in the military.

Alright, I'm switching positions if you are going to agree.......:yikes:

JK :Thumbs:

[thecavemaster]

I thought you guys were big "personal responsibility" aficianados? The state's interest is activated because the behavior amps up tremendous socio-economic costs. No one exists alone. All behavior is interrelated. Non-smokers pay extra to cover smokers, in a sense, as the cost is passed on. Smokers in the military should pay an extra "tax" on their health benefit. Thus only the persons engaged in the behavior assume the extra cost.

[Mr.Kimball]

I thought you guys were big "personal responsibility" aficianados? The state's interest is activated because the behavior amps up tremendous socio-economic costs. No one exists alone. All behavior is interrelated. Non-smokers pay extra to cover smokers, in a sense, as the cost is passed on. Smokers in the military should pay an extra "tax" on their health benefit. Thus only the persons engaged in the behavior assume the extra cost.

Do you feel better now?

All you had to say was, since the smoker is primarily responsible for the enormous health care costs associated with smoking, they should have to pay their fair share to help absorb the costs, be they military or civilian, and not make the civilian world shoulder the entire financial burden.
:eyeroll:

[Matman]

I thought you guys were big "personal responsibility" aficianados? The state's interest is activated because the behavior amps up tremendous socio-economic costs. No one exists alone. All behavior is interrelated. Non-smokers pay extra to cover smokers, in a sense, as the cost is passed on. Smokers in the military should pay an extra "tax" on their health benefit. Thus only the persons engaged in the behavior assume the extra cost.

While I actually agree with you on the main point of your post. Soldiers don't pay for Tricare. Are you proposing that smokers in the army pay for Tricare. Also alot of the guys that are smoking while deployed didn't smoke before they went and won't smoke again after their back. Some will develop the habbit and contiue with it. Its hard to track whos smoking and whos not.
I don't think we need government regualation on troops smoking due to circumstances surrounding the problem. I do believe in the programs they have in place to help soldiers quit. I think there should be more in the way of education. On the flip side i think obesity and smokers in the civilian comunity should pay more for health care.

[thecavemaster]

Do you feel better now?

All you had to say was, since the smoker is primarily responsible for the enormous health care costs associated with smoking, they should have to pay their fair share to help absorb the costs, be they military or civilian, and not make the civilian world shoulder the entire financial burden.
:eyeroll:

With all due respect, there is roughly a ten word difference in your rendering and mine. I say what I say, write as I talk.

[Beef]

Robert Gates said (yesterday I believe) that this won't happen.

[Stardust]

I thought you guys were big "personal responsibility" aficianados? The state's interest is activated because the behavior amps up tremendous socio-economic costs. No one exists alone. All behavior is interrelated. Non-smokers pay extra to cover smokers, in a sense, as the cost is passed on. Smokers in the military should pay an extra "tax" on their health benefit. Thus only the persons engaged in the behavior assume the extra cost.

:please: Hunh?

Do you feel better now?

All you had to say was, since the smoker is primarily responsible for the enormous health care costs associated with smoking, they should have to pay their fair share to help absorb the costs, be they military or civilian, and not make the civilian world shoulder the entire financial burden.
:eyeroll:

:High5: Ahhh!

[thecavemaster]

:please: Hunh?




:High5: Ahhh!

That's good...even if it is at my expense.

[Stardust]

:Thumbs: