To those wanting to move to Europe, check their laws. Cigs cost over $14 per pack and public smoking is banned in many countries.

For those complaining about taxes and paying for the childrens health care act - smokers cost American taxpayers millions of dollars annually in medical and healthcare. I have the right to complain about your wasting of MY money.

BTW, I was a 35 year smoker who now has heart problems thanks to the tobacco companies and my choice to smoke.

It's your right to smoke, please keep doing it so my grandkids have health care too. Thanks, one less worry (and exspense) for me and my family.  

And Obama said he was not going to raise taxes on the poor and middle class, what a lier!

Get ready for a string of other taxes for products that are determined unhealthy, booze, sweets and anything else they can put in that category.

i quit back a few weks ago, thank god!

It will give another source of income for mexican gangs - to bring and sell cigarettes from Mexico, or to sell "imported ones" from US, which will leave US on paper only. Thats how a lot of russian mafiozos made lots of money in Germany

With all due respect, nearly everyone here is missing the point.  The government isn't interested in getting people to quit smoking.  They need the tax dollars that tobacco generates to fund government programs 'for the children'.  If their goal was to make tobacco extinct, all they have to do is pass a law.  They've had that power for years now, but using it means killing the goose that laid the nicotine-stained-egg.  Cigarettes will go underground (it's already happening), because enterprising Americans will find a way to make a good buck.  It will make the War on Drugs (snort-cough) seem like a walk in the park.  Long live the Nanny-State!      

Just plain stupid.....

We let the Automotive business go under while the "union" employees are making $80.00 per hour putting seats in cars or lug nuts on wheels...Say what you want about that, but it is absoulutly true.  Why put that high of a tax on cigerettes?  A lot of other things that would make more sense.

Let's say that 1 out of 10 people smoke (probably a high estimate).  They are taxing the crap out of these people.  Wouldn't it be better to find a tax is needed and spread it accross the board???

How about welfare? Put a higher end of year tax on that.  I just might get people off their butts and find a job a be a productive part of society.....All this is getting really carried away......

D.

I agree with ljc that slowlly reducing nicotine would be a good thing!!  I have been   Assmoking for over 45 years, i have tried patches, gum, and hypnotism, to no avail!!  i ALSO THINK THEY ARE BEING VERY UNFAIR TO SMOKERS!!  As far as the polluted air story, get a grip people!!  Ever been on an air base?  If you have, then you know how much fuel is dumped continuously....So good for the lungs!!  Also how about the pollution from cars, busses, trucks and diesel fuels...  Also, those people predicting other rights being taken away are right on!! How about caring about others faults and remember not everyone agrees with you either!  Everybodies addicted differently also.  good luck.

If people want to kill themself, that should be a persons right.  Since the goverment

likes to steal money from the people for whatever reason they need to do

with it, some people will go without food so they can buy cigarettes.  I hope

the goverment can deal with that.

To all the posters saying "It's my right to smoke, if I want to turn my lungs black, that is my business, not yours"..... ya know what? IT IS OUR BUSINESS. Cuz when you damn smokers light up, you aren't just hurting yourself, you are hurting everyone else around you. Not to mention, you make everyone else around you smell like total ass. Think about it. If you had the option to eat sh*t, would you? Sure, its your business. Now what if you had the option to rub that sh*t all over people around you? Would you wanna do that? Probably not. But that's exactly what you are doing when you smoke. You are making other people SMELL LIKE SH*T. To hell with all you smokers. I'm so glad smoking will be banned within 20 years. I hope you all die from lung cancer (which you will).

Here is a quick, easy solution. All smakers stop smoking right now. Don't buy any more cigs ever again. When that well dries up the feds will tax the next big killer Booze. So we all stop drinking. Next we go to twinkies and the like. We will soon all be healthy and older but since all of us sinners stopped our sinning, What will the feds have left to tax. Sex! You heard of the new device they want to put on your car to rax your miles? wait until you have to report your "frequency" of lovemaking. Singles of course will be taxed at a higher rate. This will also lower unwanted pregnancy and other sexual related problems. Now we have covered all the possible taxes I guess that the feds will have to start spending money the DO have instead of money they don't and stop making everyone else pay for the stupidity of Washington idiots.  I did forget to mention that as we run out of 'sin' industries to tax. We will have even more layoffs starting with the Nicotine merchants all the way down to the nursing profession (More healthy people, less heath care need.)