I didn't know how to put this, but I'm in favor of an individual's rights. It's legal for adults to smoke, particularly outdoors. Smoking laws vary from state to state. Where this topic particularly is in that gray area is when you state looking specifically at the aims of Scouting. One of the aims is being physically fit. I remember that in leading New Leader Essentials training they gave several examples of how to be physically fit. One of them was refraining from tobacco use. I did a quick search of the National BSA site with the search term "smoking." The first result to come up was an excerpt from the Guide to Safe Scouting which can be found here: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/GSS/gss04.aspx Here is the test of that portion of the guide: "Adult leaders should support the attitude that young adults are better off without tobacco and may not allow the use of tobacco products at any BSA activity involving youth participants.
All Scouting functions, meetings, and activities should be conducted on a smoke-free basis, with smoking areas located away from all participants."
In training we also talk about setting the example for the boys. If we expect the boys to wear uniforms, the adults need to wear the uniforms. If we expect the boys to have a positive attitude and deal with conflicts in an appropriate manner, we also have to do the same.
Our Good Turn for America project focuses on Hunger, Homelessness, and Health.
All around us the BSA is saying, in my opinion, that tobacco has no place in our organization.
Again, I do believe that smoking is an individual's right. This is a very gray area. I guess it comes down to one question, are we creating a double standard by allowing tobacco use on BSA property or at Scouting events?
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