Tobacco Sales Drop 18% at Military Outlets; Pentagon Cites Crackdown

WASHINGTON — Although little hard data is available yet, the Pentagon said Thursday that it appears its crackdown on smoking in the military is working.

In a report submitted to Congress, the Pentagon said it had charted an 18% decline in tobacco sales at military commissaries during a recent six-month period.

Moreover, a recently completed Air Force survey concluded that 31% of the men and women in that service were still smoking, “but this reflects a 20% reduction of total smokers since 1985 . . . a reduction of 48,000 smokers.”

“Based on current information, the Defense Department’s anti-smoking campaign has resulted in decreased tobacco consumption and a further decrease in the sale of tobacco products in military commissaries,” wrote Dr. William Mayer, the assistant defense secretary for health affairs.

Expects Further Reduction

“We believe that continued efforts will result in achieving the goal of reducing (Defense Department) beneficiaries’ smoking rates to rates significantly below civilian levels,” he said.

Mayer also disclosed in the report that the Pentagon has set a firm goal for its anti-tobacco campaign of reducing the number of smokers in the military “by at least 10% per year” over the next two years and, ultimately, “to levels significantly below civilian rates.”