Federal, state cigarette taxes driving more New Jersey smokers to quit centers

An increase in federal and New Jersey cigarette taxes may be a major factor in a swell in the use of quit centers in the state, officials say.
The federal tax jumped 62 cents April 1, followed by the state increase in July.
The number of smokers seeking help to quit started to rise early in the year when the economy was especially rough, but seemed to peak around the time of the new taxes, said Jonathan Foulds, director of the tobacco dependence program at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark.
"It's very hard to draw the right cause and effect with statewide programs ... but I think that seems pretty plausible," Foulds said. "I think it's the affect of more expensive cigarettes."
According to a report released this summer by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, as of 2007, 62 percent of New Jersey residents who once smoked had quit, which is the highest percentage in the country.
The trend includes Warren County, where Leeanne Del Prado says more people have been coming to her for help at Community Prevention Resources of Warren County in Washington.
Some come with the express intention of quitting, like a recent woman who was diagnosed with emphysema. Others come for different reasons but end up revealing their desire to quit, she said.
"I have noticed an increase in people who wanted to quit for various reasons," said Del Prado, coordinator of the Warren County Community Partnerships for a Tobacco-free New Jersey, a program funded by the state Department of Health and Senior Services' Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program.
The need for help has led to new programs, such as a helpers program devised by the University of Arizona's College of Medicine and the New Jersey tobacco control program. The program teaches skills to assist others in quitting smoking such as understanding the psychology of a quitter's mind.
"It's based off principles of active listening," Del Prado said. "It's meant to help people make informed decisions about how to quit. Some of it is a no-brainer, but it's outlined in a helpful way."
Cigarette consumption has generally dropped between 2 and 4 percent a year over the last several years, said John Singleton, a spokesman for cigarette manufacturer RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. But this year it is expected to be more dramatic. When the federal tax increase was approved in March, tobacco manufacturers predicted 6 to 8 percent of its customers would quit smoking.
New Jersey's increased cigarette tax -- which at $2.70 is the nation's third highest, behind New York and Rhode Island -- is designed to provide health insurance for low-income children. But Singleton said it may have the opposite effect of reducing the state's cigarette tax revenue by deterring smokers from buying.
At the same time, New Jersey quit programs are also facing financial hardship, according to Foulds. Where the tobacco control program had $50 million in funding a decade ago, it has $7.8 million now.
"We think that New Jersey has done a very good job" helping smokers quit, he said. But "things are tough and lots of things are being cut."