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Would raising cigarette prices would help people quit smoking?

Posted at 5:30 AM, Apr 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-12 08:49:05-04

It turns out the best way to get people to give up smoking cigarettes is to hit them in the wallet. 

A new study found that doubling the cigarette tax in 13 middle-income counties could push as many as 20 percent of smokers to quit.

They crunched he numbers and found the move could save 450 million years of life and $157 billion in medical costs. Researchers also think people in poverty would benefit the most.

72 percent of smokers come from low-income communities and would have the most financial incentive to quit.