Do cigarette taxes reduce smoking? My lungs say yes

Confronted with a gaping hole in the budget, Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson has proposed a tax hike on cigarettes. Parkinson wants to raise the tax from 79 cents a pack to $1.34.

Politicians tax smokers because they’re outnumbered by nonsmokers. Taxes on tobacco also have the virtue of saving lives. According to the American Lung Association, every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes reduces consumption by about 4 percent.

My experience tells me the statistic is true. I was once a 4 percenter.

I had started smoking in college. A lot of college students smoke when they drink or are stressed about their coursework. I tend not to dabble in things. The route from being tobacco-free to someone who liked to light up before and after a 9 a.m. class was short and direct, in my case.