US soldiers serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will still have access to cigarettes despite a report urging a tobacco-free military force, the Pentagon has said.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has no plans to ban the sale of cigarettes or chewing tobacco for troops doing combat duty, his press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters Wednesday.
Advertisement
"He knows that the situation they are confronting is stressful enough as it is, and I don't think he is interested in adding to their stress levels by taking away one of the few outlets they may have to relieve stress," Morrell said.
"And that may be chewing tobacco or smoking a cigarette."
The comments came after a recently released report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report called for adopting measures that could make the military "virtually tobacco-free within 20 years."
![Smoking Risk Calculator]( "Smoking Risk Calculator")
Do you smoke cigarettes daily? Use medindia smoking risk calculator and calculate your reduced Life Span due to Smoking.
The Defense Department spent 564 million dollars in 2006 treating tobacco-related illness in the military, the report said.
It found the proportion of smokers in the US armed forces is higher than in the civilian population, with around 32 percent of soldiers using tobacco products, compared to 20 percent of civilians.
Military personnel on deployments were twice as likely to be smokers than their home-based counterparts, said the report, which was sponsored by the Pentagon and the Veterans Association.
Morrell said Gates would carefully study the report, which cites subsidized tobacco products on military bases as a contradiction to the Pentagon's stated policy to discourage smoking.
Source: AFP
LIN
The comments came after a recently released report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report called for adopting measures that could make the military "virtually tobacco-free within 20 years."
Smoking Risk Calculator
Do you smoke cigarettes daily? Use medindia smoking risk calculator and calculate your reduced Life Span due to Smoking.
Advertisement
The Defense Department spent 564 million dollars in 2006 treating tobacco-related illness in the military, the report said.
It found the proportion of smokers in the US armed forces is higher than in the civilian population, with around 32 percent of soldiers using tobacco products, compared to 20 percent of civilians.
Military personnel on deployments were twice as likely to be smokers than their home-based counterparts, said the report, which was sponsored by the Pentagon and the Veterans Association.
Morrell said Gates would carefully study the report, which cites subsidized tobacco products on military bases as a contradiction to the Pentagon's stated policy to discourage smoking.
Source: AFP
LIN
Quiz on Smoking
Approximately half the smokers die due to smoking -related diseases. But it is not just the smokers who are at the receiving end. The passive smokers too, often pay a heavy price. If you still have not 'kicked the butt', learn more horrifying facts about smoking by participating in the following quiz.
Advertisement
 US Military Tobacco Ban Advocated by New ReportIf the Pentagon accepts new calls for a ban on tobacco products in the military, then the image of a tired soldier relaxing by lighting up could become anecdotal. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest Lifestyle and Wellness News
Amid the challenges of caring for newborns and toddlers, a study notes a rising trend of new parents seeking social media's help for managing their children.
Lack of friends and family visits is tied to a 39% increased risk of mortality that can be used to develop effective therapies associated with social isolation.
Compared to wearing sun-protective clothes and avoiding the sun, using sunscreen is the least effective way to prevent sunburn on the skin.
Bacterial diversity in the human gut is benefited by eating fruit and vegetables with microorganisms of probiotic and health-promoting characteristics.
New research challenges the common notion that couples achieve better weight loss results.