Fourteen states, the nation's capital and the federal government hiked their cigarette taxes last year, but health officials worry tobacco company discounts are keeping prices down.
State increases ranged from 10 cents per pack in North Carolina to $1 in Connecticut, Florida and Rhode Island. But manufacturers devote billions of dollars of their marketing and promotional spending to reducing cigarette prices.
Health officials say raising the price of cigarettes is one of the most effective ways to discourage people from smoking, and seems to have a particularly large impact on teens.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday released two reports on cigarette excise tax increases and how minimum pricing laws help discourage smoking.
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