NYC Now Has The Most Expensive Cigarettes In The Nation

NEW YORK, NY — Sorry, smokers — cigarettes are now more expensive in New York City than anywhere else in the nation. The legal minimum price for a pack of smokes officially increased Friday to $13 from $10.50 under a city law passed last year.

City officials hope the steep cost will encourage New Yorkers to quit smoking and deter people from picking up the habit.

"Even if you only smoke a few a day, or if you don’t smoke every day, the money adds up, and so does the risk to your health," Dr. Mary T. Bassett, the city health commissioner, said in a statement.

Any business caught selling cigarettes for less than $13 will face fines starting at $1,000 for the first violation, according to the city Department of Health.

The new minimum price, which includes taxes, is a result of one of several anti-smoking bills Mayor Bill de Blasio signed in August 2017 that are expected to cut the number of smokers in the city by 160,000 by 2020.

The package of legislation also included new price floors for other tobacco products, measures to limit the number of retailers selling tobacco and new regulations for electronic cigarettes.

The city is still home to more than 850,000 adults and about 15,000 youth who smoke despite steep drops in smoking since the early 2000s, the Department of Health said.

The city and state health departments offer several resources to help smokers quit. New Yorkers can get a free starter kit of medications by visiting nysmokefree.com.

"We must do all we can to reduce the consumption of known carcinogens in our city, especially for our youth," Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said in a statement. "Targeting tobacco sales and usage is a critically important way we are helping our city raise healthier children and families."

(Lead image: Photo by 5 second Studio/Shutterstock)