Cigarette tax increases are proven to save lives. The higher the tax, the more lives saved.

There is no downside to this tax. It's the most effective thing the legislature can do in this year's General Assembly.

I wouldn't do it. I don't think it's a very good idea simply because there are so many people living on credit in America right now as it is.

We know from strong evidence that we'll see a decrease in the youth smoking rate, a decrease in health-care costs associated with smoking, and revenue we'd like to see go towards prevention and education programs.

When we get our first big win, other cities will jump on the bandwagon. It will be a big domino effect.