On the picture: Smokers have a puff in a smoking area outside of New Haven medical center. In Connecticut, legislators recently hiked state excise tax on cigarettes to $3, making the cost of an average pack of cigarettes hitting $8. However, health advocating organizations claim that they authorities also have to launch more effective smoking cessation programs across the state.

Following months of deadlock, Connecticut legislators finally came to an agreement last Tuesday, approving new state budget. During the final sessions, there has been one point all lawmakers were delighted to agree – the cigarette tax hike. According to the approved bill, the cigarette tax is to be increased by $1 per pack, reaching $3 and becoming third highest across the country.

Although, Gov. M. Jodi Rell declared that taxes on such products like alcohol and cigarettes are admissible since people hurt their health while smoking or drinking, no one heard a proposal on how to help those smokers get rid f their additive habit.

Connecticut has one of least successful social programs, when dealing with smoking cessation efforts. During the previous couple of years, the state found itself on the last place in the coverage of such programs. This sounds even stranger, if having estimated how enormous is the revenue the state receives annually from cigarette taxes and Master Settlement Agreement.

This matter can be explained by the fact that Connecticut provides coverage of smoking cessation program only to state workers (the legislators, are by the way, included in that list) however, other state residents who are mainly on Medicaid are barred from the coverage. As a result, Medicaid members have the highest smoking rates across the state.

In addition, Connecticut doesn’t demand private insurance companies to cover the cessation programs.

States like Florida and New Jersey have reached huge success when they added smoking cessation to the coverage. Other states like Oklahoma have reported about a 10 percent drop in expenses for treating smoking-related diseases. In addition, Massachusetts has registered almost 35.000 quitters just three years after the state Medicaid began offering cessation programs.  

Connecticut legislators should follow the steps of Rhode Island. The neighboring state recently adopted tobacco tax hikes and approved amendment to oblige insurers to cover smoking cessation services for people who need help in giving up smoking.

Increasing cigarette taxes can be named a positive step towards elimination of tobacco use. However, without corresponding smoking cessation services and awareness programs, it is just another attempt to generate extra money.