Proposal to increase cigarette cost $1 per pack

PROVIDENCE — Democratic State Senators Thomas Izzo of Cranston and Thomas Codderre of Pawtucket introduced legislation that will increase the price of a pack of cigarettes by $1, with 55 cents of the increase going to the cigarette excise tax and 45 cents back to the merchants whose sales the senators believe will be hurt by the increased costs. The senators said the legislation is intended to curb teen-age smoking, with the increased cost acting as a deterrent. The senators said they expect a 12 percent decrease in smoking to result from the increase in the cost. The increase in state revenues, they suggested cold be used in the areas of dental and mental health, advertising for local smoke prevention programs, to match federal funds for the treatment of breast or cervical cancer for uninsured women, and funds to help address the shortage of primary care physicians in Rhode Island.