If You Smoke, Your Cigarettes May Soon Cost More.

I don't smoke, so It's hard for me to stay off my high horse on this subject, especially after seeing my father die of emphysema. Then I remind myself, we all have our vices.   "We" includes me. I just inquired of a couple co workers what they typically pay for a pack of cigarettes. They replied $4.50 - $5.50 per pack. Assuming they smoke a pack a day, that works out to $140-$150 per month. If you smoke, you may soon be digging deeper. A house committee has passed a measure that would raise Louisiana's tax on cigarettes from 36 cents to 68 cents a pack. The measure was introduced by Bogalusa Representative Harold Ritchie. It passed by an 11-5 vote. If ultimately passed into law, it's expected to raise about $67 million a year in tax revenue.