Should the military ban smoking?

[SonOfAGun]

I was watching a natl. geographic do entary about Green Berets staioned in Afghan and they had some epic beards.

[Jacob1983]

Anyone in the military should be allowed to smoke. If you're willing to risk your life for your country, then you should have the right to smoke. Besides, doesn't smoking calm the nerves of soldiers? If soldiers are not allowed to smoke then Barry shouldn't be allowed to do it either.

[ElNono]

They should allow them to smoke weed instead of tobacco...

[Cant_Be_Faded]

This is complete and utter bull . These guys train to sustain themselves on three hours of sleep, with nothing more than coffee and cigarettes to keep them going. You take that away and you got more Tillman's getting their heads blown off by friendly fire.

Stupidest thing I've heard all ing month.

[whottt]

Smoking doesn't calm your nerves, unless you're nervous due nicotine withdrawl. It only calms the craving created by cigarette addiction in the first place. That said, nicotine is a cheap stimulant that can keep you awake and improve alertness and quickness sometimes.

Over all, I think people should be able to smoke but it really doesn't calm your nerves unless you're an addict. The natural effect of nicotine is just the opposite of calming in fact...it is a stimulant.

[J.T.]

Anti-tobacco people are the most ridiculous mother ers out there. I can understand tobacco prevention for kids, but once they hit 18 get the out of their lives and let them smoke if they want to. Most will start before then if that's what they want. But Johnny Lee Congressman getting up there and saying soldiers shouldn't smoke not only should lose his seat, but also be kidnapped and have a few dozen nicotine patches slapped onto him like they did in "Thank You For Smoking" when they tried to kill Harvey Dent.

[J.T.]

Smoking doesn't calm your nerves, unless you're nervous due nicotine withdrawl. It only calms the craving created by cigarette addiction in the first place. That said, nicotine is a cheap stimulant that can keep you awake and improve alertness and quickness sometimes.

Over all, I think people should be able to smoke but it really doesn't calm your nerves unless you're an addict. The natural effect of nicotine is just the opposite of calming in fact...it is a stimulant.

I bet if you laced cigarettes with some brown china it would calm your nerves a little.

[ploto]

I think there are two different issues- one of allowing smoking and the other of the military actually selling cigarettes.

[Yonivore]

Smoking isn't a basic human right.

When you sign up with the military, they own you for the length of your enlistment. You are an investment -- not an employee. There are a buttload of things military enlistees can't do the general public can. So, man up and quit ing.

Frankly, I don't care if they sell tobacco at commissary but, to me (a former smoker), it doesn't make sense to abet a destructive habit for those in who you've invested so much time and money in training.

[Clandestino]

so, bc they are paid with taxpayer money they shouldn't be allowed to smoke? i guess everyone on medicare/medicaid should be forced to quit as well.

wait til obama and gov healthcare comes on board...

[chode_regulator]

I'm all for stripping people of their rights.

Nothing better after a long day of fighting and keeping your ass from getting blown away than a stick of gum.

B2B, have you been in the military? Most of our rights are stripped as is.

I have and can honestly say I enjoyed a lot of rights. Many of them in line with the cons ution.

Hey, that guy might have to carry me if I get injured. I don't want him having smoker's lungs!

and 'that guy' is still required to pass a pft. i smoked the whole time i was in, about a pack a day and still ran better than a lot of non smokers. one guy i worked with refused to even try to run bc his pull ups carried his score so that all he had to do was pass the run and still get a first class score. so do you want me who ran (no longer that good of shape) a 21 min 3 mile or the non smoker who ran a 28 three mile?

As a non-smoker, it still bothers the out of me. I cannot ing stand tobacco, I ing hate breathing it, I can't stand the smell, it used to make me cough like when I was a kid, but that's asinine to strip someone's right to put what he wants into his own body.

WOW. finally a non smoker who is sensible. Congrats, I wish i could shake your hand.

They should also ban that whole getting shot at thing.

I hear it can lead to death.

To be fair, we can't even grow our hair out long, or have a beard unless we're on leave. There's a lot of seemingly asinine rules in the military.

Lots of jobs have rules about grooming, not just the military. even hitler had a cropped stache because of gas masks. Also themain reason why professional pilots can't have facial hair.

[LnGrrrR]

Its a good thing you're in the Air Farce, you wouldnt last one minute in the Corps.

Yes, that's why I'm not in the Corps.

The Air Force is more corporate than the other military branches, for better and for worse.

[LnGrrrR]

Those aren't assanine policies.

You're right; I spoke poorly. I know there's a good reason for them, but I'd say the benefits aren't as "tangible" as those from banning smoking.

[LnGrrrR]

Again, I'd like to note that the original article states that it won't be a full-stop. It will be grandfathered in over the space of many years, so people in NOW can still smoke, but people just getting into the military would have to be non-smokers.

[Wild Cobra]

Again, I'd like to note that the original article states that it won't be a full-stop. It will be grandfathered in over the space of many years, so people in NOW can still smoke, but people just getting into the military would have to be non-smokers.

Something like that would be more appropriate. I am against such a ban, but I would say they have the right to.

Personally, I think pussies who hate the military are trying to find ways of making it harder to get new recruits. This would have an impact of recruitment!

[sam1617]

The military imposes a minimum fitness requirement. If a man can still match those requirements while smoking, then they should be allowed to smoke. If smoking has lowered his fitness below the minimum, there are already things in place to fix that. Thats enough for me.

[nkdlunch]

ing stupid. they can kill and take bullets but not light a cigarrette?????

[Wild Cobra]

The military imposes a minimum fitness requirement. If a man can still match those requirements while smoking, then they should be allowed to smoke. If smoking has lowered his fitness below the minimum, there are already things in place to fix that. Thats enough for me.

True enough. One of my coworkers when I was in the Army used to razz me about smoking. He was years younger, and I would smoke him in the Physical Fitness testing!

[DarrinS]

ing stupid. they can kill and take bullets but not light a cigarrette?????

No , right?

[jacobdrj]

The military imposes a minimum fitness requirement. If a man can still match those requirements while smoking, then they should be allowed to smoke. If smoking has lowered his fitness below the minimum, there are already things in place to fix that. Thats enough for me.

Would that apply to women in the marines as well?


As for smoking, IIRC, as a GI you have few, if any rights. Most are signed away. I like the grandfather clause idea. I am a non smoker, and I believe in consistency. If weed is illegal, so should tobacco. If tobacco is legal, so should it be for weed, alcohol etc. If a person is an adult, they are an adult, not someone who can only vote but can't drink. If you can be drafted you should be able to drink.

I also am aware of the problems involved with worker safety. But if it is a private establishment it should be permitted per the owners' business plan. I am conflicted, but I can't get over the violation of the owners' rights, even at the cost of someone's job.

[sam1617]

Would that apply to women in the marines as well?

Yes, women Marines should be able to smoke too, if they continue to match the physical requirements....

[jacobdrj]

Nice deflection sam...

[sam1617]

Nice deflection sam...

I thought that smoking in the military was still the topic

In reality, if women are capable of fulfilling the same mental and physical requirements as men, then they should be permitted to serve in the same conditions. As it is, the Marine Corps basic training is different for men and women, and they do have different physical requirements, so I'm ok with women not being able to serve in combat situations.

[jacobdrj]

It was an 'extreme' logical analogy used for the purpose of pushing the boundaries of the same line of reasoning. It is about smoking. You opened it up with the meritocracy comments, of which I agree with.

[SonOfAGun]