Raising the federal cigarettes tax to five dollars per pack over a course of ten years could serve as a useful revenue generator in fiscal cliff negotiations.
Raising cigarette taxes is, according to the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, one the one of the best buys in public health.
The government will raise revenue to pay for essential public services, while incentivizing current smokers to quit and preventing our children from ever starting.
If you believe in the laws of supply and demand, then it would be a good idea to leverage them for the public good.
Raise the cigarette tax!