Smoking cessation groups think cigarette tax will lead smokers to quit
BROOME COUNTY, N.Y. – With the rising cost of a pack of cigarettes, some groups in the Southern Tier say it’s just time to quit.
Groups like Tobacco Free Broome-Tioga, Reality Check and the TEAM-ACT Cessation Center believe the new tax is an incentive for people to quit smoking. The groups predict that the tax increase will prevent more than 243,000 from smoking and lead more than 140,000 smokers to quit.
“People need deterrents. They need the information about the health risks of smoking and they need a deterrent that’s going to say you know what, it’s really not worth it to smoke anymore. Because I don’t have anything. At the end of a $180 habit a month, I have nothing to show for it,” said Christie Finch, Chair of the Tobacco Free Broome and Tioga Coalition.
According to the groups, national statistics show every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes will reduce overall cigarette smoking by four percent.
