Tobacco - Marine Corps Health Issues | Marine Corps Times

Tobacco

Since the early 1980s, the Defense Department’s tobacco-cessation crusade has succeeded in reducing the number of smokers and those who use smokeless tobacco (although the military’s latest worldwide health survey of active-duty members have shown a slight upturn in tobacco use during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan). The campaign includes tobacco-cessation programs as well as education and counseling services.

As a rule, Tricare will not pay for such services in the civilian community or for prescription medications used to support smoking cessation, although defense officials intend to test these services in some areas of the country. Defense officials want to curb and reverse the increase in tobacco use since the advent of the global war on terrorism.