Tobacco Facts.

The image of a weary soldier puffing on a cigarette after a battle soon could be reduced to a Hollywood stereotype if the armed forces adopt recommendations by military health officials to phase out tobacco use.

The Institute of Medicine published, “Combating Tobacco in Military and Veteran Populations,” in June after a two-year study commissioned by the Pentagon and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It calls for phasing out tobacco use in the military over as much as 20 years.

The report cites tobacco for causing health problems that in the short term hamper military readiness and over the long term cost hundreds of millions of dollars a year in medical care and lost productivity.

The report states that soldiers and Marines who have been deployed in combat are far more likely to use tobacco than those who don’t.

Some of the proposals include banning the sale of tobacco on military installations and the use of tobacco in uniform. The Institute’s Web site also calls for programs to assist smokers with quitting.

“I don’t think they should be telling me I can’t smoke on a lunch break, as long as I’m in a designated area,” said Petty Officer Mike Argenio, who is stationed at the submarine base in Groton. “And I have a friend who is a Marine who had a healthy smoking habit when he was in Iraq. When he came back, he stopped smoking.”

Already restricted

Christopher Zendan, spokesman for the submarine base, said the base follows strict Navy smoking policies.
Zendan said most buildings on the base are smoke-free, and that all designated smoking areas are at least 50 feet from government buildings. The Reunion Pub, also on base, has a designated cigar room with sophisticated ventilation and filtration systems.

“We offer tobacco-cessation classes run by our command health clinic,” Zendan said. “We have classes both on base and off base.”

Hitesh Patel, who owns the Mini Mart Food Store across from the base’s main gate, said he does not get many cigarette customers from the base, as tobacco is available at lower cost on the base. He said there could be an increase eventually if sales were banned on the base.

Cynthia Smith, a Pentagon spokeswoman, reiterated there is no ban in effect, and that the recommendations have not yet been given to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

She said the evidence is “overwhelming” in regard to the effects of tobacco on health and military readiness, but that the military offers cessation programs and counseling for those trying to quit.
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