Ill Cigarette tax $3.98/pack

[imoldernu]

The average cost for a package of Marlboro cigarettes is now $12.98.

https://www.expatistan.com/price/cigarettes/chicago
The tax increased by $1 on July 1st... the article that stated the average price, was in June.

That means a cigarette now costs $.65 ea.

When I was a kid, a quarter in the cigarette machine gave you a pack... that had two or three pennies inside the cellophane wrapper. That meant each cigarette cost about $.01 ea. back in the 1940's.

 

[travelover]

That does it. I've giving up my plan to take up smoking.

 

[aja8888]

When I was in the Air Force, we used by a 10 pack carton for $1.10 at the PX (1960's).

 

[CRLLS]

As I recall, in the late '60's cigarette pack seemed to track the price of a gallon of gasoline. I never took up the smoking habit but did frequent the gas station often.

 

[Dtail]

Just another reason not to smoke.

 

[MRG]

Wow, 11.98 for a pack, $120 a carton? I'm very glad to have dumped those 19 years ago. I don't see many smokers anymore. At least cigarettes. Illinois recently became the 11th recreational cannibis state. I guess trying to help tax their way out of financial issues.

Sometime back in the 1970s there was a bumper sticker that said "Gas, grass, or cigarettes, nobody rides for free" or something like that. [emoji13] I guess it's karma.

Somewhere a bunch of old hippies are laughing.

 

[RobbieB]

Yup, we never thought it would be legalized in our lifetimes. Hehe, yes you can even buy a "pack of joints" that comes with a free lighter because nobody carries a lighter anymore.

 

[Amethyst]

Each time the WaPo runs an article on the plight of poor people, which is often, there is always somebody smoking or an ashtray full of butts in one of the photos. I always wonder how they manage to afford their smokes.

 

[NW-Bound]

The average cost for a package of Marlboro cigarettes is now $12.98...

Wow, that's expensive.

I will borrow from Marie Antoinette and say "Let them smoke MJ".

Maybe MJ is really less expensive. Does anybody here know?

 

[RobbieB]

The "good stuff" is $300-350/ounce. But it's truly 1 hit sh*t, over 20% THC and not that rag weed we smoked when we were young.

 

[NW-Bound]

Okay! I will have to take your word for it, as I never do MJ in my life.

Smoked cigarettes since the age of 15 though, and quit in 2003.

 

[MRG]

I pay $100 out the door for medical, normally ~20%. Recreational in this expensive area runs $180 out the door. Other more populous areas have better prices.

Recreational is typically the same strains from different grows with different price and more tax. Every state has different pricing and laws. I've read some areas, Oregon?, had a glut of cannabis and the price has fallen to 1972 dirt weed prices.

 

[marko]

Each time the WaPo runs an article on the plight of poor people, which is often, there is always somebody smoking or an ashtray full of butts in one of the photos. I always wonder how they manage to afford their smokes.

That's [-]why [/-]one of the reasons they're poor.
Worse yet, I'd guess that more poor people smoke, so the state is making those least able to pay even more poor.

My dad was a four pack a day guy, so in today's money he'd be paying like $50 a day?? $1500 a month??

 

[RobbieB]

I noticed no difference in price medical vs rec. The packaging of the rec stuff is much better and so is the quality. They just stuffed the medical into cheap plastic RX jars, the rec stuff is in air tight glass.

Oh yeah, tobacco is simply unfashionable now.

 

[Midpack]

Wow! I quit when they reached $1.00/pack because I thought that was ridiculous! 1984 or thereabouts.

Stumbled across this looking for price history, an impressive decline:

Since 1965, the adult smoking rate has fallen from 42% to 15%. Despite the decline, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, accounting for nearly half a million deaths each year.

 

[Aus_E_Expat]

Try Australian cigarette prices - about USD28 per pack.
Something like 75% is tax.

It is intended to stop people from smoking and has been very successful in lowering the number of people smoking.

 

[scrabbler1]

Each time the WaPo runs an article on the plight of poor people, which is often, there is always somebody smoking or an ashtray full of butts in one of the photos. I always wonder how they manage to afford their smokes.

Reminds me of the time back in the 1990s (and I'm sure it has happened often since then) when I went to my local mini-mart to buy some milk one Friday night, and the other dozen or so hardly wealthy customers in the store were all buying at least one of the following: beer, cigarettes, and lottery tickets. I was the only one in the store not spending money on vices which disproportionately tax the poor in one way or another.

 

[FIREchief]

beer, cigarettes, and lottery tickets. I was the only one in the store not spending money on vices which disproportionately tax the poor in one way or another.

Beer is a "vice?!"

 

[adrift]

When I was in the Air Force, we used by a 10 pack carton for $1.10 at the PX (1960's).

I was in the Army in the mid-70's. When we went out on field maneuvers, the K-rations (MRE's of the day) included small packs of cigarettes. I think 5 each.

I tried a few cigarettes when I was a teenager but have never smoked any since. I remember my younger brother puking when he tried them with me.

The only time I bought cigarettes was in the early 80's. I was working in Toronto. One of my co-workers asked me to bring him back a carton (10x20) when I visited the US. I remember it was $7 US for a carton of Marlboro's at the time at a quickly mart.

A quick google indicates that you can't buy Marlboro's in Toronto now. But, generally, a carton of cigarettes there would cost $105 US.

 

[bada bing]

Beer is a "vice?!"

It can be. I personally know at least 3 functioning alcoholics who drink nothing but (alot of) beer. I know more than a few people who have DUI's on their permanent record from a few beers. So yeah, it is a vice for a lot of people.

The best thing to do with beer IMO is distill it into whiskey.

I quit smoking cigarettes in 1995. I remember the minute I quit vividly. I was driving home and the news radio was carrying an announcement by the governor (who I really didn't like). He was crowing about signing a bill imposing an additional $1/pack tax on cigarettes "for the childrens's sake". I crumpled up the last few cigarettes in my current pack and threw them out the window while giving an obscenity or two towards the governor on the radio. Never smoked since. That tax raised the price of a pack from $2 to $3. In retrospect, that was one of the few (only) things done by that governor that were positive for me. "The children" got hosed though. The dedicated tax that was supposed to benefit "the children" was rolled into the general fund. Go figure.

 

[Badger]

Somewhere a bunch of old hippies are laughing.

Cheers!

 

[Badger]

I stopped after a pack went from $.21 to $.25. At my income level I couldn't afford them anymore and I was getting mad at myself for being controlled by them so one day I just put them down and stopped.


Cheers!

 

[donheff]

I quit smoking in 1981 or so. There was a long period in 79 when I was trying to quit that I smoked over a pack a day of free cigarettes. Companies trying to break into the market were handing mini packs out on the corners all over downtown Chicago. Enabling coworkers would collect packs and drop them on my desk. I have never had even a hint of problem with habits from other drugs or alcohol but getting off cigarettes took years.

 

[Jerry1]

As I recall, in the late '60's cigarette pack seemed to track the price of a gallon of gasoline. I never took up the smoking habit but did frequent the gas station often.

I don’t remember when it happened, but I recall noticing when the price of a pack of cigarettes exceeded the cost of a gallon of gas. It looked strange at the time.

 

[Andre1969]

I don’t remember when it happened, but I recall noticing when the price of a pack of cigarettes exceeded the cost of a gallon of gas. It looked strange at the time.

About the furthest back I can remember is the summer of 1987. I worked at a veterinary clinic that was next door to a grocery store. "Basics", it was called. One of the technicians used to give me a couple bucks and go over to get her some cigarettes from time to time. I remember they were about $1.50-1.75 a pack at the time. Meanwhile, gasoline was usually around 85-95 cents per gallon for 87 octane. I remember we used to whine when it would occasionally break $1.00/gal.


I remember one time, in the checkout line, with the cigs, the wife of the reverend at our church was in line behind me. We started chatting, but I got nervous, holding those cigs. When I went to ring them up, I just blurted out "These aren't for me, I don't smoke!" real nervously. Someone behind the reverend's wife hollered out "Yeah, RIGHT!!"



I think back on that time now, and laugh, but it was a bit embarrassing, for a 17 year old kid who had it drilled into his head that smoking was evil. Shows how innocent the times were, too. I'm pretty sure the legal age for smoking was 18, but they didn't care if an under-age kid bought them...heck, in those days, you could still get them from cigarette machines in lobbies and such! And, I was able to just get a pack right off the shelf. Nowadays, they're usually locked up behind the customer service counter.