Tobacco prices are set to change aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, March 30. The price will rise due to the Department of Defense directive that mandates tobacco prices match the
prevailing price of the local community.
Tobacco pricing surveys will be conducted at least quarterly. The standard method for determining the price for tobacco products will be by a commercial third-party vendor using scanner data. Surveys will include pricing data from competitors such as mass merchants,
gas stations, tobacco stores, club stores and drug and convenience stores.
According to the DOD Tobacco Policy, prices in the U.S. including territories and possessions shall reflect the prevailing local price in the community, including the effect of all applicable taxes that local consumers pay when purchasing tobacco. Prices of cigarettes and other tobacco products for sale aboard naval vessels are set based on Navy Exchange tobacco prices at the ship’s homeport. Prices of tobacco products at overseas military exchanges shall fall within the range of prevailing prices for that same product established in outlets of the defense retail systems inside the United States.
According to the memorandum, the prices at the air station are expected to go up approximately 18 percent from $4.79 to $5.65 and smokeless tobacco will go up approximately 6.6 percent. In the continental U.S., the price increases range from a low of 14 percent in
North Carolina to a high of 69 percent at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The price change will include all forms of tobacco such as cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, E-cigarettes and vaping. The purpose of the change is to strengthen the tobacco cessation campaign and improve force readiness.
The DOD is committed to advancing the health, productivity, and readiness of the armed forces and is making efforts to prevent initiation of tobacco use, help those who want to quit, and decrease exposure to
second-hand smoke, according to the DOD. Because price is a significant factor in tobacco cessation decisions, the DOD believes this policy will make a meaningful improvement in the health of our armed forces.