Price Increase “A Pain in the Ashe” for Minnesota Smokers

I haven’t smoked cigarettes since 2004. The last pack of “smokes” I bought cost $1.80 per pack. To buy a carton back then was around twenty bucks and that was for a “name-brand” of cigarettes that now costs so much more.  

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My wife and I often talk about how much it costs these days to be a smoker. As a former smoker, I relate to the fact that it’s an addiction and it’s hard to stop smoking. We quit when my wife had an issue with her health, nothing like a health scare to bring things into perspective. 

Unless it’s paying a ridiculous amount for those cigarettes. The costs have only continued to skyrocket, and in Minneapolis, they could reach an all-time high.  

The City Council could possibly increase the cost of a pack of cigarettes to $15 per pack before taxes. That increase would be the highest in the United States.  

The idea behind this proposal is to deter people from smoking, especially younger people.  

The costs of cigarettes are already as high as $13.50 per pack within the city limits. In near-by St. Paul hit the $10 per pack range about three years ago.  

For those who smoke cigars, to buy a four-pack would cost more than $15 as well. Interestingly, the costs of vaping compounds and e-cigarettes would not be affected by this proposed plan.  

Obviously, smokers that live within the city limits of Minneapolis are not happy about his idea. Those people having to drive farther away to buy cigarettes because the council approves this plan is one likely outcome of this move.  

There is another concern that this plan will increase the possibility of black-market cigarettes being sold in the area, which creates the possibility of a number of other issues developing.  

An interesting part of this proposed plan would not allow smokers to use coupons from cigarette manufacturers that they normally send through the mail or email. 

The Minneapolis City Council will vote on this plan next week. There’s support for this measure but it’s not exactly sure if there’s enough push behind this to get it to pass.