"They're going to die anyway": smoking shelters at veterans' facilities

Am J Public Health. 2013 Apr;103(4):604-12. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.301022. Epub 2013 Feb 14.

Abstract

Military personnel and veterans are disadvantaged by inadequate tobacco control policies. We conducted a case study of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) effort to disallow smoking and tobacco sales in VA facilities. Despite strong VA support, the tobacco industry created a public relations-focused grassroots veterans' opposition group, eventually pushing the US Congress to pass a law requiring smoking areas in every VA health facility. Arguing that it would be unpatriotic to deny veterans this "freedom" they had ostensibly fought for and that banning smoking could even harm veterans' health, industry consultants exploited veterans' organizations to protect tobacco industry profits. Civilian public health advocates should collaborate with veterans to expose the industry's manipulation, reframe the debate, and repeal the law.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Commerce / legislation & jurisprudence
  • Federal Government
  • Government Regulation
  • Hospitals, Veterans / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Humans
  • Politics
  • Smoking / epidemiology
  • Smoking / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Smoking Prevention
  • Tobacco Industry / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Tobacco Smoke Pollution / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • United States / epidemiology
  • United States Government Agencies
  • Veterans*

Substances

  • Tobacco Smoke Pollution