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Veterans and Smoke-free Laws

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The Grand Haven American Legion in Ottawa County, Michigan was required by a county ordinance to go smoke-free. Despite initial opposition, members quickly began to appreciate the decision. According to the bartender, neither business nor membership was hurt by the law. The American Legion said that even if the law were repealed, the club would most likely remain smoke-free.1

 

Veterans Deserve Protection from Secondhand Smoke

  • Only 19.7% of veterans are current smokers.2
  • Veterans are at risk for serious illnesses that are caused or worsened by exposure to secondhand smoke like lung cancer, emphysema and other health complications.3
  • There are over 7,000 harmful chemicals in secondhand smoke and nearly 70 cause cancer.4
  • Each year, at least 3,000 lung cancer deaths occur among adult nonsmokers in the U.S. due to exposure to secondhand smoke.4
  • Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke increase their risk of heart disease by 25-30%.5

Veterans Deserve to Breathe Smoke-free Air

  • Everyone, including veterans, deserves the freedom to breathe safe, healthy air.
    • Veterans living in rural areas are more likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke than those living in urban or suburban areas.6
  • Despite the fact that few veterans smoke, cessation rates among veterans are lower than the general public.7
  • Smoke-free policies help veterans quit by providing a more supportive environment in which to stop smoking.
  1. Doty A. State smoking ban: No citations from Ottawa County so far. Grand Haven Tribune. October 20, 2010.
  2. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 2008 Survey of veterans enrollees' health and reliance upon the VA September 2009.
  3. McLaughlin JK, Hrubec Z, Blot WJ, Fraumeni JF, Jr. Smoking and cancer mortality among U.S. veterans: a 26-year follow-up. Int J Cancer. Jan 17 1995;60(2):190-193.
  4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health;2010.
  5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease and Prevention and Promotion, Office of Smoking and Health;2006.
  6. Vander Weg M, Cunningham C. Veterans' environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure: Department of Veterans Affairs; Winter 2011.
  7. Jonk YC, Sherman SE, Fu SS, Hamlett-Berry KW, Geraci MC, Joseph AM. National trends in the provision of smoking cessation aids within the Veterans Health Administration. Am J Manag Care. Feb 2005;11(2):77-85.