NYC tries to reduce the number of smokers by raising the cost of a pack of cigarettes to $13

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday Aug. 28, 2017 signed a sweeping series of anti-smoking bills, trying to reduce the number of smokers in the city by nearly 200,000 over the next few years.

“We are sending a loud and clear message that we will not let their greed kill any more New Yorkers without a fight,” said the Mayor at a bill-signing ceremony in Brooklyn. “These new laws will not only help reduce the number of smokers in our city, but also save lives.”

The minimum price for a pack of cigarettes will jump from $10.50 to $13, the highest base price for cigarettes in the US.

The planned price hike is one of seven bills aimed at pressuring the city’s 900,000 estimated smokers to quit.