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

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

Naphtali Offen  1 , Elizabeth A Smith, Ruth E Malone
Affiliations

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

Naphtali Offen et al. Am J Public Health. 2013 Apr.

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.

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Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
“Veteran in Wheelchair.” Veterans for Smokers Rights lobbying brochure: tobacco industry influence on the US military, July 11, 1990. Source. Veterans Rights Coalition.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Smoking and tobacco use within the Department of Veterans Affairs.
    Hamlett-Berry K, Christofferson DE, Martinello RA. Hamlett-Berry K, et al. Am J Public Health. 2013 Jul;103(7):e3. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301375. Epub 2013 May 16. Am J Public Health. 2013. PMID: 23678898 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
  • Offen et al. respond.
    Offen N, Smith E, Malone RE. Offen N, et al. Am J Public Health. 2013 Jul;103(7):e3-4. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301388. Epub 2013 May 16. Am J Public Health. 2013. PMID: 23678918 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

References

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