Cig tax hike spurs cries for help
(via flickr's lamarde)
The number of people looking for help to quit smoking tripled when cigarette prices soared up to $10 a pack last month, the city health department said yesterday.
More than 2,700 smokers wanting help flooded the city’s 311 line when a state tax hike on cigarettes went into effect in the first week of June. Only 850 people called in the same period last year.
Higher-priced packs have fueled a surge of people kicking the habit before. Tax increases in 2002 contributed to a 21 percent drop in adult smokers, the health department said.
