There are those who believe that raising the price of cigarettes will cause people to quit smoking in order to save money. I say this is total bullshit.
After I quit smoking for a few months last year, I thoroughly enjoyed the extra cash I had lying around for things like froyo, danish, and brownies. I enjoyed it so much, I put on thirty pounds. Thirty! Then my husband lost his job, and suddenly that extra cash disappeared. So there I was: fat, broke, and craving a cigarette.
Three months later I am still fat and broke. I am also back to smoking an entire pack of Camels a day. No matter how poor a smoker is, they will somehow find a way to fit cigarettes into their budget. Homeless people panhandling on the street will offer you some of their precious change in exchange for a smoke. Every day people choose between a meal and a pack of cigs. The choice is easy: 20 cigarettes will last all day, but a burger and fries only lasts a few minutes, and you'll be hungry again in a few hours anyway. Besides, nicotine is a convenient appetite suppressant.
To me, raising the price of cigarettes only gives me more incentive not to quit. Every once in a while I will light up, take a drag, and think "EW! Put that out!" My first instinct is to throw the damn thing on the ground and forget about it. But my practical side jumps in and reminds me that I paid 35 fucking cents for this, and I had better enjoy it! And that's cheap! If I lived in New York, I would probably feel even more entitled to fully enjoy my 60 cents worth of smoky pleasure.
As alcohol prohibition proved, financially hard times are the worst times to try and take away the little vices that take people's minds off of the insecurity in their lives. Self-esteem and self-confidence are some of the best anti-smoking tools you can have. What kind of drugs do doctors give out to help people quit? Anti-depressants! (I'm on one right now.) When you feel good about yourself, and your life, you naturally avoid things that are toxic to your body. When you know when and where your next meal is coming from, you won't try to find ways to avoid thinking about it.
If we really want to live in a healthy America, a smoke-free America, we must first take care that everyone's basic needs are met, and physical and mental health are encouraged. Tax McDonalds instead! Ban beauty pageants and unhealthy fake food additives. Send the ramen back to Asia, and make broccoli 10 for a dollar! Teach children to love themselves. And most importantly, end this ridiculous class system where the 400 richest people in America really do own more than the poorest 50% of the entire country!
The price of cigarettes will go up on its own when they become a rare, undesirable, novelty item.
