A bill has been introduced that would ban smoking at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities in the next five years.
Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, has introduced H.R. 1662, which would ban smoking inside and outside VHA facilities. According to Wenstrup, the VHA has 15 indoor smoking areas and 971 outdoor designated smoking areas at its facilities. The bill would seek to remove those within the next five years, making the VHA smoke-free.
Wenstrup is both a doctor and an Army reservist. He currently holds the rank of colonel and fulfill his duties by treating patents at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Wenstrup is also the chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Health Subcommittee.