Ok we just watched a episode of csi ny and they were talking about the Russian mob smuggling counterfeit cigs and the csi guy asked the actual cop character how much a carton cost in nyc and he responded about 130$
The date of the episode was 2012 so how much is a carton these days? I’m thinking name brands would be that high tho as the generics would hopefully be discounted
New York has the most expensive cigarettes in the country. The average, according to this, is $13.50 a pack, so $130 for a carton would be just about normal.
wow I remember as a kid in the early 80s every one swearing to quit because a carton of cigs was TEN dollars … and the late 80s my moms friend had a pen pal from Sweden who would come over to buy smokes because his was 12$ a pack
although ive heard in Europe buying single cigarettes was the thing since no one could buy a whole pack
I guess we caught up …
I remember making a promise to myself to quit smoking once cigarettes reached 50 cents a pack. This was in the 70s and I expected this to allow me to smoke a few more years before I had to quit.
According to the government’s inflation calculator cigarettes that cost 50 cents in 1974 should cost $3.40 today. I suspect increased government regulation of the tobacco industry as well as increased state and federal taxes account for the fact they are so much higher than that. (Not that this is a bad thing. Most of the people I know who smoke now only smoke a half pack a day, if that much. When I was smoking, two packs a day was considered light. I smoked three and half packs a day and no one thought it was excessive. Thankfully I was finally able to quit.)
It would suit me fine if they were outlawed altogether.
It wasn’t long ago that I bought a carton of Marlboros for about $2 from the petty smugglers who sneak across the Moei River. I think they were fake Marlboros, but they had the pretty red packs and cartoons.
I’m glad I quit smoking but I didn’t have to because my smokes were dirt cheap and for years and years.
Nothing funny about it but you have to roll your own which I liked just fine. Online tobacco shops have pipe tobacco that are dual purpose meaning they can be smoked as cigarettes. Some brands were actually better tasting than cigarettes.
My fav was Criss Cross pipe tobacco and was $16-$18 for 16 oz bag. two of those and a $25 box of rolling papers last me between 3-4 months.
Can’t get any cheaper than that. 
Back in 1967 a pack from the vending machines in the D.C. area was 35 cents (a bit cheaper in stores). On a bus trip I was utterly shocked to find that in the vending machines in the bus depot in New York they were a dollar.
Sounds like they’re still about three times what they cost in many other U.S. cities.
Remember when an ounce of weed would set you back $400 … pffft … that same bag is yours now for $125 … I guess … the one neighbor always grows too much and just gives me a half pound every fall.
It’s been a long time since I smoked. (Buying “Marlboros” at the Moei River is just to give away.) But back in the day I loved to roll my own; some brands were delicious — much better than any store-bought cigarette. ZigZag was my favorite brand, but it was very hard to find in California circa 1980.
(I did try rolling a cigarette from pipe tobacco once. I found it much too strong. :eek: I guess there must be a wide variety of pipe tobacco.)
CA has a legalization prop on the ballot this year that will allow individuals to grow 6 plants on their property. My friends who grow now produce some very good stuff and they aren’t particularly skilled. I expect that will have an impact on price in CA if this passes, which I’m pretty sure it will.
More than just cutting a financial source for organized crime syndicates … it will free up the police to enforce more serious crimes …
Like toking and driving …
This is also why NYC has people illegally reselling single cigarettes on the street.
Ever been on a flight to Europe? About an hour out of the destination, the airline starts selling duty free smokes and people are just standing in line to get them.
Reselling? They’re selling used cigarettes? 
Yes, some are pipe tobacco and not suited for cigarette. What you want are dual purpose pipe tobacco. They’re all marked pipe tobacco so a Google search will sort 'em out from reviews.
Prince Albert and Raleigh’s are not it. :dubious:
I realize this is a joke, but it made me think: how do those guys on the street obtain the cigarettes they’re selling? Are they selling stolen cigarettes, or cigarettes purchased in other cities or states (which presumably have lower tobacco taxes), or what? I assume they’re selling them for less than the stores that legally sell them, right?
It looks like a carton of cigarettes here in Nevada is roughly $70, and some cartons are under $40, so I guess New York City is indeed quite expensive…
Smuggled, Untaxed Cigarettes Are Everywhere in New York City
60% of cigarettes sold in New York are smuggled: report
NYC probe finds massive number of illegal, untaxed cigs
I Spent a Day with a Guy Selling Illegal Cigarettes on the Streets of New York
Europe has cheaper cigarettes than USA and Canada. People ask me all the time if they can buy one off me here in Canada and I don’t even smoke.
I know they are supposed to increase in price in Europe too to probably to 7-8 bucks.
It’s well over 50% taxes in NYC and Chicago.
Federal excise tax is $1.01 a pack, everywhere in the US.
State taxes range from 30 cents (Virginia, of course) to $4.35 in New York, with an additional $1.50 in NYC and a whopping $4.18 in Chicago (on top of the IL state rate of $1.98 - most expensive packs in the US.)
Sales tax also applies in most if not all taxing jurisdictions.
It looks like ciggies are just over $5.00 a pack, pre-tax, average.
(Nonsmoker; I save my vice dollars for bourbon instead.)
Thanks for the info. In addition to the health benefits I’m even more glad to have kicked them when I did in the mid-eighties. My three-and-a-half pack a day habit would be very costly these days.
