Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: You have got to be f***ing joking!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Rhineland-Palatinate
    Posts
    2,390
    Blog Entries
    6

    Default You have got to be f***ing joking!

    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.

    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.

    Along with a phased-in ban, the report 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.

    The military complicates attempts to curb tobacco use by subsidizing tobacco products for troops who buy them at base exchanges and commissaries, says Kenneth Kizer, a committee member and architect of California's anti-tobacco program.

    Seventy percent of profits from tobacco sales — $88 million in 2005 — pays for recreation and family support programs, the study stays.

    Strong leadership could make the military tobacco-free in five to 10 years, Kizer says. President Obama, he says, could set an example for the military by ending his own smoking habit once and for all. Last month, Obama said he is "95% cured" but "there are times when I mess up" and smoke.

    http://www.usatoday.com/news/militar...-smoking_N.htm

    What's next Alcohol??? This is what it will lead to. They are already trying to attempt to curb drinking in the military. We have a 0-0-1-3 (Zero DUI's, Zero Underage Drinking, 1 Drink per hour, 3 Drinks per night) guideline that senior leadership is saying we should use.

    Sigh...

    Lopaka

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Bitterville
    Posts
    7,189
    Blog Entries
    117

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Lopaka View Post
    WASHINGTON — Pentagon <snip> Last month, Obama said he is "95% cured" but "there are times when I mess up" and smoke.

    http://www.usatoday.com/news/militar...-smoking_N.htm

    What's next Alcohol??? This is what it will lead to. They are already trying to attempt to curb drinking in the military. We have a 0-0-1-3 (Zero DUI's, Zero Underage Drinking, 1 Drink per hour, 3 Drinks per night) guideline that senior leadership is saying we should use.

    Sigh...

    Lopaka
    I'm "messing up" right now, happily

    I believe Bill Hicks once said "Its not an attack on drugs, its an attack on personal freedom. Keep that in mind at all times" I thnk that applies here too.

    Will
    The powers that be might take it all away
    Together we burn, together we burn away

    Uncle Tupelo

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Alaska
    Posts
    1,478
    Blog Entries
    14

    Default

    That is complete horse s**t!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Niagara Falls, Ontario
    Posts
    23

    Default

    I can see cigarettes as they do contain harmeful chemicals. Unlike cigars that have less. Infact , in the great war and WW2, many were smokin cigars. It wasn't till near the end of the war that cigarette became popular.

    This could become an interesting topic!
    Niagara Falls Baby

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Alaska
    Posts
    1,478
    Blog Entries
    14

    Default

    Tobacco won't be banned in war zones.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    456

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Eville View Post
    Tobacco won't be banned in war zones.
    Hmm, well, I guess that means that something good did come from the ongoing "War on Drugs" that's happening.
    Just a stay at home dad (retired until I choose otherwise, thanks Canadian Army medical pension) hanging out and enjoying the good life.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    No longer just south of the middle of no where! Now in Clearwater Florida.
    Posts
    1,285
    Blog Entries
    5

    Default

    in my opinion I think that doing such a thing would be a great disservice to our military. The boys and girls who fight for our country deserve to have something to encourage them. Think of all the cigars that have been sent to our troops over the years as a real appreciation of what they are doing and continue to do for our Country and for other countries.
    Just another day at the office!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Denial.
    Posts
    400
    Blog Entries
    30

    Default

    Would an experienced CO in any forward area enforce such a policy?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Niagara Falls, Ontario
    Posts
    23

    Default

    only if the camera man is around!
    Niagara Falls Baby

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Rhineland-Palatinate
    Posts
    2,390
    Blog Entries
    6

    Default

    It stopped....for now.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •