Honestly what do you think would be the case if cigarette prices were raised to $10 per back?  Do you think people would spend the extra $6 to continue their habit, or would cigarettes become a luxury, only smoked on special occasions?  Or do you think a majority of the smoking population would say screw it and quit because of the high costs? Just wondering.. :P

Honestly, I don't think it would stop all people. When you are addicted to something like that I think you will go into debt over it. For others maybe they would cut back and only smoke when they really need to and instead of a pack a day maybe a half a pack or fewer. Maybe people would be more willing to try the patch instead too...good question though. I never really thought about it like that. But what about alcoholics. They pay probably more than that in alcohol...

In Europe, cigarettes cost well over $10.  People are still into smoking here..

I think it would cut off a lot of smokers. I dont think everyone can afford to pay 10$ a day $70 a week!! I sure wouldn't. Ooooh the government should do that! I dont think tobacco industries would really let it happen though. In Europe everything is expensive though and everything is always double the price it is here so I'm not very surprised about people still smoking when they're $10. But if they're that much here I can name off quite a few people that would stop.

Good point! Everything in Europe is like double than what it costs in the states. I think it would stop a lot of people from smoking because it would be very expensive.

I dont think the tobacco industry would allow that at all though. Our economy makes a lot of money off of cigarette taxes there are even colleges built off of that money. But it would be better for the people in it. I really think there would be so much less smokers. It would become sort of a luxury.

So how has the tax increased affected people? I read an article that said cigarette says have actually been up, but instead people are buying cartons. It also said that an average pack-a-day smoker will be spending $368.65 more a year on smokes. That seems like a lot of money in just taxes. Was the tax created for the Children's Hospitals?