Washington, July 13: Pentagon is considering a move that would end tobacco sales on military bases and prohibit smoking by anyone in uniform.
Following the findings of a recent report by the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Pentagon is considering a full ban on tobacco in the military.
More than 30 percent of active-duty military members use tobacco products of some kind, and troops often rely on cigarettes as a stress reliever.
“Of greater concern, the rate of tobacco use in the military has increased since 1998, threatening to reverse the steady decline of the last several decades,” the report says.
“Furthermore, smoking rates among military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan may be 50 percent higher than rates among non-deployed military personnel.”
The report also showed tobacco use costs the Pentagon nearly $846 million each year in medical care and lost productivity costs. It says $6 billion is spent by the Department of Veteran Affairs on treating tobacco-related illnesses as well.
The report recommendation calls for the full ban to be in effect within 20 years.
——Agencies