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“Are you feeling the burn?”
Justin Kotchian, 21, a University of Maine student, said one of his friends and fellow smokers recently asked him this question.
Indeed, many student smokers are feeling the burn. With their wallets already drained by increased tuition, books, and of course, gas prices, they are now being faced with yet another financial strain: a $1 increase in Maine’s excise tax on cigarettes.
The change took place on Sept. 19 when the Maine Legislature’s decision to balance the state budget by increasing the cigarette tax from $1 to $2 went into effect, causing most packets of cigarettes to now cost over $5.
For a student like Kotchian who smokes five or six packs a week, that extra dollar adds up to around $20 over a month and to around $240 over a year. Kotchian is not very concerned about the added expense, however.
“It hasn’t really affected anything,” Kotchian, who has never tried to quit, said, “I’m not happy about it, but it’s not a huge deal.”
Warren Riley, 24, a marketing student who has been smoking on and off for a few years, said the increased tax has caused him to reconsider his habit.
“I smoke a whole lot less now,” Riley said, who smokes a pack or two a week. “I’ve been meaning to quit for a while now, and I think this is going to help.”
Riley said he does not really disagree with the raising of the tax because smoking is such a “disgusting habit.”
“It’s a good way to get a lot of money out of something that really shouldn’t be going on anyway, and this state needs as much money as it can get,” Riley said.
Melissa McPerson, 20, a wildlife ecology student, said it has affected her family and friends “big time.” She only smokes about a pack every two weeks, but the increase still causes her concern and makes her think about quitting more.
McPherson said she disagrees with the tax because she believes local businesses will suffer as a result and that it’s just a short-term solution.
Kotchian said he also disagrees with the tax and would have signed the petition for which Stavros Mendros, a former Republican state representative from Lewiston, attempted to collect the required 50,000 signatures, but was unable to because he was not registered to vote in Maine. The petition would have delayed the tax until a statewide vote could be held in June.
“Since smoking is legal, it’s a little unfair, but you can also argue that it shouldn’t be legal in the first place,” Kotchian said. “If there’s anything they should raise taxes on, it’s alcohol.”
The increased tax has brought more interest to the help line for students wanting to quit in the smoking. The helpline provides students with free aides to help them quit smoking, such as patches and gum, and in a program called Smoking Sensation, said Lauri Sidelko, director of dubstance abuse and prevention.
Riley said it helps knowing there is a resource out there that is not pushing at you to quit, but you know it’s there if and when you decide to take that step.
