Teenage Smokers Willing to Cough Up Higher Price

The threat of a $1.50-a-pack boost in cigarette taxes generated little fear--or intellectual discussion--among a group of teenage smokers Wednesday afternoon.

“That sucks,” said Dan Gregory, 16, a junior at Thoreau High School. “That would take it up to, like, $3.50 a pack. Too expensive.”

But Dan and his buddies leaving school for the day said the price hike would probably not curb their smoking.

“I don’t think it would make any difference,” said Bill Morrison, 15, who started smoking two years ago and is now up to about a pack a day. “I started because my friends were doing it. They still do.”

Garett Salzer, 15, had a Dr. Pepper in one hand and a Marlboro in the other. He was not so content a smoker.

“I started because it was kind of cool,” he said. “Now it’s just a habit. It’s not so cool anymore.”

But a price hike wouldn’t be enough to curb his habit, he said. “I would just pay more.”