New Rule Bans Smoking in Air Force Recreation Areas
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Smoking is prohibited in Air Force recreation facilities, including its bowling alleys, beaches, parks, golf courses and basketball courts, under a new regulation announced in late March. Smoking is also prohibited in vehicles on Air Force medical campuses, or when there’s a child in the car under age 14. The instruction also prohibits tobacco use while in uniform for students in technical training, accession and graduate medical education programs.
They noted that tobacco use costs the department an estimated $1.6 billion a year in medical expenses and lost work time. Based on statistics that half of smokers will die from a related complication, about 175,000 current active-duty smokers will die, the officials wrote. In an effort to prevent deep discounts on tobacco, lawmakers also changed the pricing policy, preventing military retail stores from selling a tobacco product at a price below the most competitive price for that product in the local civilian community.
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