Increased regulations and price increases may continue to dissuade military members from smoking.
As military bases look to discourage tobacco use, increased tobacco prices and more tobacco-free areas on military bases are options that will be presented to Defense Secretary Ash Carter by an advisory committee, according to a defense spokeswoman, the NavyTimes reported.
It’s unclear how high the prices might go in military stores, but an option under consideration is matching the average price paid for tobacco. A recent change in law requires that prices can’t be any lower than the lowest price in the surrounding civilian community for that product, but there is no cap on how high tobacco prices can go.
The potential move comes after the Air Force has already expanded the number places where tobacco use is prohibited, such as in vehicles on medical campuses, beaches, recreation facilities, etc.
“In the Air Force, we’re committed to promoting tobacco-free living throughout. We’re not waiting for direction from the Department of Defense (DoD). We’ll continue to push forward,” Air Force Col. (Dr.) John Oh, chief of health promotion for the Air Force Medical Support Agency told The NavyTimes.
A DoD memo in March 2014 appeared to encourage the services to eliminate tobacco sales—and tobacco use altogether—on military bases, but stopped short of ordering specific actions, the NavyTimes pointed out. Smoking has been prohibited in workplaces on military installations for about 20 years. Tobacco sales on military bases have steadily declined since defense officials began taking steps to reduce smoking in the ranks, including reducing discounts on tobacco products.