thedrifter
07-11-09, 06:55 AM
DO NOT SMOKE 'EM IF YOU GOT 'EM
PENTAGON | Health experts call for ban on tobacco for U.S. military
Comments
July 11, 2009
BY GREGG ZOROYA
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 from a federal study that cites rising tobacco use and higher costs for the Pentagon and Veterans Affairs Department 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 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."
One in three service members 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. Combat veterans are 50 percent more likely to use tobacco than troops who haven't seen combat.
Tobacco use costs the Pentagon $846 million a year in medical care and lost productivity, says the report. The Veterans Affairs Department spends up to $6 billion in treatments for tobacco-related illnesses, says the study, which was released late last month.
The report also recommends requiring new officers and enlisted personnel to be tobacco-free, eliminating tobacco use on military installations, ships and aircraft, expanding treatment programs and eliminating the sale of tobacco on military property. "Any tobacco use while in uniform should be prohibited," the study says.
Gannett News Service
DOD, VA should take stronger steps to combat tobacco use in military, veteran populations
From Science Codex
DOD, VA should take stronger steps to combat tobacco use in military, veteran populations
From Science Codex
Ellie
PENTAGON | Health experts call for ban on tobacco for U.S. military
Comments
July 11, 2009
BY GREGG ZOROYA
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 from a federal study that cites rising tobacco use and higher costs for the Pentagon and Veterans Affairs Department 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 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."
One in three service members 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. Combat veterans are 50 percent more likely to use tobacco than troops who haven't seen combat.
Tobacco use costs the Pentagon $846 million a year in medical care and lost productivity, says the report. The Veterans Affairs Department spends up to $6 billion in treatments for tobacco-related illnesses, says the study, which was released late last month.
The report also recommends requiring new officers and enlisted personnel to be tobacco-free, eliminating tobacco use on military installations, ships and aircraft, expanding treatment programs and eliminating the sale of tobacco on military property. "Any tobacco use while in uniform should be prohibited," the study says.
Gannett News Service
DOD, VA should take stronger steps to combat tobacco use in military, veteran populations
From Science Codex
DOD, VA should take stronger steps to combat tobacco use in military, veteran populations
From Science Codex
Ellie