Among the many issues facing our nation’s veterans, one that’s often underrecognized is the epidemic levels of tobacco use among our service members and the impact that has on our community’s health and well-being.

This Veterans Day, it’s time to address the issue head on.

There is a long history of smoking and other tobacco use in the military, which I saw firsthand in my four and a half years in the Air Force. I, myself, started smoking while in the Air Force.

Many veterans used tobacco while they served, particularly during deployment. Now seven out of every 10 veterans who smoke would like to quit — for both the physical benefits and their mental health.

So what can we do here in Maine? For a start, lawmakers should look at increasing the state’s tobacco tax on all tobacco products.

Increasing taxes on tobacco products is a win-win proposition: significantly increasing tobacco product taxes results in fewer people starting to smoke and helps those who currently smoke to quit — including our veterans. It would also help combat the tobacco industry’s continued targeting of myself and my fellow service members.

On top of the individual and community-wide health benefits, the increased tax revenue would provide a budgetary boost to fund important health and tobacco prevention programs.

This Veterans Day, I urge Maine lawmakers to think about the health of Maine’s service members and commit to increasing the state’s tobacco tax as an evidence-based approach to helping them quit using tobacco.

Janet Miles, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network volunteer