Study Says Cigarette Smoking On Rise; Average Pack Costs $5
Prices of cigarettes may have gone up, but according to a new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it hasn't stopped people from lighting up.
"I think it indicates some things are recession-proof, unfortunately," said Courtney Weatherby, with the American Lung Association.
In fact, according to a 2008 national survey, cigarette smoking rose slightly for the first time in almost 15 years to just under 21 percent.
"It's very interesting, but I think also in our tough economy right now with the recession it's not something that has to do with people just going out and buying them," Weatherby said. "I think it's still a habit. It's not something they're thinking, 'Oh, I need to quit this because it's expensive.' It's more so what they're doing to de-stress from their job or de-stress from financial trouble at home, things like that."
Longtime smoker Cayla Rawlins said she's tried to quit several times, but she admits one factor keeps getting in the way.
"I have children," Rawlins said. "We have a total of seven children between us. You try not smoking."
With the average pack of cigarettes now selling for $5, if a person buys one pack a day, they'll spend about $140 a month on cigarettes.
That's enough to cover the car insurance on a car plus have money left over for a monthly cell phone bill.
The study indicates those among the hardest hit are people with lower levels of education.
But for those like Rawlins who've seen their paychecks cut in half because of the economy, financial woes have her taking the extra puff.
"Jobs are down, money's short, especially if you have kids to take care of or just yourself," Rawlins said. "You have two people working. I just had a baby, got a granddaughter in the hospital. Between work and everything else, it's 'Get me a cigarette or I'm going to explode.'"
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