The Cost of Lighting Up - California Healthline

California will consider a ballot measure to hike its cigarette tax to $2.87 a pack this November. Tobacco companies such as R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris have poured $56 million into the campaign against Proposition 56.

Research and anecdotal evidence suggest cigarette taxes can curb smoking, KQED’s April Dembosky has reported. U.S. Census Bureau data shows the cost of a pack of cigarettes in California has generally grown in tandem with a rising cigarette tax, with a couple of exceptions. In the mid-to-late 1980s, the tax was flat but the total cost still inched up; and in the early 1990s, the total cost declined even as the tax grew.

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<h1>The Cost of Lighting Up</h1>
<div>		<time class="posted-on" datetime="2016-10-24T12:01:37-07:00">
			October 24, 2016		</time>
		</div>
<p>California will consider a ballot measure to hike its cigarette tax to $2.87 a pack this November. Tobacco companies such as R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris have poured $56 million into the campaign against Proposition 56.</p><p>Research and anecdotal evidence suggest cigarette taxes can curb smoking, KQED’s April Dembosky has <a href="http://californiahealthline.org/news/would-californias-proposed-tobacco-tax-hike-reduce-smoking/">reported</a>. U.S. Census Bureau data shows the cost of a pack of cigarettes in California has generally grown in tandem with a rising cigarette tax, with a couple of exceptions. In the mid-to-late 1980s, the tax was flat but the total cost still inched up; and in the early 1990s, the total cost declined even as the tax grew.</p><ul><li><a href="https://californiahealthline.org/multimedia/the-cost-of-lighting-up/?share=facebook">				Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)				Facebook			</a></li><li><a href="https://californiahealthline.org/multimedia/the-cost-of-lighting-up/?share=linkedin">				Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)				LinkedIn			</a></li><li><a href="https://californiahealthline.org/multimedia/the-cost-of-lighting-up/?share=x">				Click to share on X (Opens in new window)				X			</a></li><li><a href="mailto:?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20The%20Cost%20of%20Lighting%20Up&body=https%3A%2F%2Fcaliforniahealthline.org%2FMjE0MzU1&share=email">				Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)				Email			</a></li><li><a href="https://californiahealthline.org/multimedia/the-cost-of-lighting-up/#print?share=print">				Click to print (Opens in new window)				Print			</a></li></ul><em><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us">KFF Health News</a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about <a href="https://www.kff.org/about-us">KFF</a>.</em><p><a href="https://californiahealthline.org/morning-briefing/">Subscribe</a> to KFF Health News' free Morning Briefing.</p>

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