The governor's proposal would tack another dollar onto the existing $1.25 tax that already comes with every pack of cigarettes. That's higher than the hike Kasich pitched last year of 60 cents.
Dr. Michael Caligiuri of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center says a higher tax is an effective way to get people to quit. He says it's not just the money-saving factor-but the programs that get a boost from the revenue.
Caligiuri: "The money's being used for those classes-those studies that will in fact help that person reduce consumption of tobacco so it's not stop smoking-make money."
The increase would put Ohio among the top 15 states with the highest cigarette taxes--and the highest among states that border it.
