.svg){kind=icon}
Our Mission
Active-duty military and veterans are more likely to smoke cigarettes than the average American. The unique, high-stress experience of military life and the need to stay alert are contributing factors, which is why cigarette smoking is even more common among those recently deployed.
Despite their training, commitment, and dedication, service members and veterans still struggle to quit. In 2018, 47% of service members reported they tried to quit but were unsuccessful. More than 52% of the veterans receiving care through the Veterans Health Administration 52% have stated they recently attempted to quit and failed.
The government’s failure to properly help veterans successfully quit increases costs for the American taxpayer too. In 2014, the Defense Department spent nearly $1.8 billion in medical and non-medical costs related to tobacco use. In 2010, the Veterans Health Administration spent an estimated $2.7 billion on smoking-related care, prescription drugs, hospitalizations, and home health care.
Cigarette smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States. It’s not right that military veterans who risked their lives for our nation could end up falling victim to smoking related illness because the government isn’t informing them of the proven pathways to quitting.
For too long, the Veterans Administration has wasted resources pushing outdated methods to help the veteran community quit. Counseling, cold turkey, patches, gums, lozenges and quit lines have all failed.
The military is always quick to invest in new technology to help protect the warfighter, but it has been slow to help the veteran in this tough fight. While the rest of the world has embraced new strategies and new innovative technology to help smokers quit, the Veterans Administration continues to lag behind.
According to Public Health England, e-cigarettes are “95% less harmful” than smoking cigarettes.
[ Citation Research ]According to the New England Journal of Medicine, alternative nicotine products like electronic cigarettes are “among the most effective cessation tools.”
[ Citation Research ]Other nicotine products like gums and patches that are made available in the PX or pharmacy are less effective.
[ Citation Research ]Less than 5% of the adult population smokes tobacco, down from an all-time high of 49%. This reduction is due country’s openness to allow the sale of smoke free alternatives (like nicotine pouches) to cigarettes1. According to Smoke Free Sweden, Sweden has virtually eradicated usage of traditional cigarettes by “enabling this transition to safer alternatives.”2
[ 1 Citation Research ][ 2 Citation Research ]As Public Health England has stated that e-cigarettes are “95% less harmful” than smoking cigarettes, the British government has encouraged adult smokers to swap from cigarettes to vapes as the Department of Health gave smokers an e-cigarette starter kit along with counseling support to help quit smoking. The government also gave pregnant women will also be offered vouchers to purchase e-cigarettes help them kick the habit.
[ Citation Research ]SmokeLessVets.org will stop at nothing to help one million veterans quit.
We will explore and amplify the latest science. We will promote the newest technology. We will share the stories of veterans who have successfully kicked the habit. And we will highlight alternative methods for helping smokers move off cigarettes to embrace a less harmful lifestyle.
We are just getting started and we want you to join us on this journey. Sign up here to stay updated and learn how you can get involved.
We're excited to hear from you and discuss how we can help you.
You can expect a response within 24 hours. Stay tuned for some fantastic news!
