Annamill asks: "Can NY be far behind??"

Huh? I heard on the local news-radio station that this latest increase in the New Jersey cigarette tax made the cost of a packet the same as New York's!

O' course, you're probably right that NY will feel compelled to jack up its cigarette tax, so as not to have NJ be even with them in anything... ;^)

But IMO this tax won't stop kids from smoking, sad to say. As long as smoking continues to be regarded as "cool" and as a symbol of rebellion, kids will continue to form the habit. One thing that angers me is the continued inclusion of images of smokers in the movies. Some big-time big-screen actors have taken a stand against it, but more have not. Recently I saw a report on TV to the effect that smoking by actors in movies is on the increase, which chilled me.