Smoker or not, you probably heard that the price of a pack of cigarettes went up sharply this past summer in the State of Minnesota.  An increase of $1.60 brought the state's Tobacco Tax from $1.23 o $2.83 per pack.

The reasons behind the tax hike weren't purely financial;  Legislators also took a chance that making cigarettes more pricey will force many into quitting - thereby reducing the burden that Cancer and other smoking-related diseases have on the states budget.

Tobacco causes 30 percent of all cancer deaths and is known to cause 15 different types of cancer. Fewer people smoking means fewer people being diagnosed with and dying from this disease,” said Matt Schafer, Minnesota government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “As an organization dedicated to reducing death and suffering from cancer, we are grateful our lawmakers recognized the importance of this legislation and we look forward to the success we know it will bring in reducing our state’s cancer burden.

The tobacco tax increase is also estimated to save more than 25,700 lives in Minnesota and prompt 36,600 adult smokers in this state quit.

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