The Nation : Bid to Curb GI Smoking

The Defense Department’s assistant secretary for health affairs, Dr. William E. Mayer, has proposed halting the sale of cigarettes in military commissaries and raising the price of those sold in military exchanges to cut down on what he considers excessive smoking, Pentagon sources said. According to Pentagon data, 52.2% of service personnel under the age of 20 smoke, contrasted with 21.2% of high school seniors. A directive containing Mayer’s proposals is awaiting a decision by Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger, but there has been a delay, one source said, because tobacco revenue is a politically sensitive issue.