Should Cigarette Sales Be Banned On Military Bases

There's a battle brewing as the Defense Department considers whether to ban the sale of cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco on military bases and ships, with some critics saying it's unfair to service members who are already sacrificing for their country.

A proposed ban was first raised by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus in March, and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered a still-ongoing Defense Department review of the issue soon after. But some opponents are already speaking out before the results of the review are in, among them Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, a Marine reservist who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He told Politico about the issue, "Leave us the hell alone -- we're out here fighting for your freedom, and you're taking away ours." Joint Chiefs Chairman General Martin Dempsey also expressed reservations at a June congressional hearing, saying, "Anything that makes anything less convenient and more expensive for our men and women in uniform, given everything we're asking them to do, I've got concerns about."

Proponents, among them several Democratic senators, said the military should end tobacco sales to try to lower troops' smoking rate, which is 10 percent higher than the general population. They also point to tobacco-related health care and lost productivity costs to the military, which they cite a 2009 Pentagon report as saying is $1.9 billion each year.