It's hard out there for a smoker.
A new bill expected to be voted on Tuesday would increase the heavy taxes already levied on cigarettes, but would also hike the cost of other tobacco products used to get that nicotine high.
Chewing tobacco and snuff would also be taxed, but Gov. Charlie Crist has gone on record as saying he won't support the bill unless cigars are exempt from the tax.
"Obviously that's an industry in Florida that has a great tradition, especially in the Tampa Bay area and probably some other parts of the state," Crist said as reported by the Miami Herald. "I would like to see that removed, if possible."
Is it really tradition or does the governor just enjoy the aroma of a robust stogie as much as the rest of us?
Meanwhile, cigarette smokers, who have already been banned to the far reaches of the office parking lot to light up, might have to dig deeper in their wallets for that fix.
The proposed tax would add a dollar to the price of a pack of cigarettes and an added buck per ounce of chew or snuff. At this rate, cigarette smokers might want to turn jump on that legalize weed bandwagon. It might be a cheaper habit.
