2mo ago

TIL that in 1917, under orders from Surgeon General Rupert Blue, cigarettes were included in the ration kits for every fighting man in the US Military.

en.wikipedia.org

Rupert Blue - Wikipedia

cross-posted from: https://lemmit.online/post/5831395

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/GoCartMozart1980 on 2025-05-15 14:58:41+00:00.

39 comments

Well, there are four reasons why even by modern standards that would have been a good idea.
The last thing you want in an army is a bunch of soldiers with withdrawal
A cigarette every so often is a good distraction from the horrors of war
Non-smokers have something to barter with
A mild stimulant like nicotine would be beneficial to a soldier
- You'll probably die from a bullet before the cigarettes get ya
- Also, nicotine suppresses your appetite. If soldiers are stuck living off of rations in trenches, many of them will inevitably end up wanting to snack. And a cigarette is an easy way to curb that urge.
  
  this
- Can't really imagine robbing a soldier of the ability to smoke in that situation. It's not like their long-term health is being prioritized during deployment anyway so why keep up pretenses.
  
  Germans: Hold my meth. (Wait no give that back)
- It helps you shit.
Makes sense, Nicotine is a mild stimulant. We give soldiers meth today
- Plus even if you don’t smoke cigarettes make convenient currency.
  My grandfather traded a couple packs for a sword at the end of WWII
  
  There are multiple peer reviewed papers on the topic. E.g. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022053100927315
- Do we? I feel like that's urban legend territory
  
  they're used in the air force (US) mostly I think. I've read anecdotes discussing it on the aviation sub on reddit
  
  Yup, “Go Pills”/Dexedrine.
- How do you explain the heroin?
If you're about the be killed at any moment ya don't care too much about getting cancer in 20 years.
- If you fought in a war, smoke the cigarettes that the government gave you and then survived. Can you sue goverment for lung cancer??
  
  You'd have VA benefits as a US war vet. You probably couldn't sue. but you would get free singlepayer healthcare
  
  US police frequently kills people and gets away with it... What do you think?
“Experience has shown that an adequate health insurance system should distribute the cost of sickness among those responsible for conditions causing it and thereby lighten the burden on the individual"
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Blue#Universal_sickness_insurance
"Have a cigarette and relax."
The government issued that on the tobacco dispensed to soldiers when my country went to war with our former colonies.
- i read a psychology study paper about tobacco use in the population that interact with mental health community, aka the people who suffer from some mental illness, and the majority of the people that smoke found it was a way to self medicate. So long story short, it's determined that it does contain some truth and it is a mentally calming treatment, but only has a limited effect. It's why I don't get down on beggars asking for cigarettes or change to buy some. It is a medication at that point
  
  It's good to know proper study has been done but you can talk with any smoker and infer - if they don't admit it openly - from their words they use cigarettes to ease off the stress. And when the nicotine fails, it's ugly to see.
Alright, let's get this out onto a tray...
- Nice!

39 comments