Tobacco.org

LETTER: Smokers rule roost at Iowa Veterans Home 

Upon entering life here at the Iowa Veterans Home it became very apparent to me that residents, staff and employees rule the roost when it comes to smoking anywhere they please and have very little regard for the feelings and health of people who have serious breathing problems. . . .

With powerful vet organizations controlling the purse strings and backing the tobacco industry, veterans who smoke at IVH feel protected from any restrictions that might creep into the picture by way of smoking bans and the like. However, the tobacco squeeze is definitely on the agenda in the state legislature, but excludes the Iowa Veterans Home. Why? Smoke is just as harmful and dangerous at IVH as anywhere, maybe more so given the area equation. Smoke is much more concentrated in the area of IVH as anywhere. It is true that veterans are deserving of a debt of gratitude for the time spent in the service of their country, but the country does not owe them a living and vets should not be given special privileges when it comes to matters of one’s health. . . .

That is “secondhand smoke.” Why should smoke-free people be victims of the smoker’s bad habit? This is the reason I have been pushing for designated smoking huts and placing them away from heavy traffic.

I will continue to condemn tobacco because I remember all too well the consequences of the addiction in every breath I take.

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