Every time I'm cashing out at CVS, I happen to notice the wall of cigarettes behind the cashier that all cost somewhere around $10.
If I had to cough up a fresh Hamilton every time I bought a new pack, I would hand out the meanest "hell no" UB has ever seen to anyone looking to bum a cigarette. The cost of cigarettes alone should be reason enough for students not to smoke.
This is not some rant about how smoking is bad for your health or about the number of people that still smoke on campus. We have all heard that story too many times; and the truth is a lot of things are bad for people to consume besides cigarettes.
I personally believe that anti-smokers are wrong for pushing their lifestyle and beliefs on their counterparts that choose to light up due to health reasons. However, I will always side with the anti-smokers for the simple sake of the money that it drains from people's wallets.
New York is the most expensive state to smoke in, with a hefty state tax of $4.35 per pack, according to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.
Also, for those that live in New York City, the tax takes an even higher jump to $5.85 a pack. With these taxes, the average cost of a pack is raised to $9.20, and $11 for our NYC residents.
For the pack-a-day smoker, that adds up to $64.40 a week and $3,348.80 a year. That's a huge chunk of change.
College is a period of time where it is socially acceptable to be broke. It is the norm to live off of packs of Ramen noodles and to check your budget before making any purchases over $10.
Few students work full time and the majority of us have a part time job where we work a few hours a week in between classes.
That $65 you saved by not buying cigarettes could be used toward purchasing gas or even food that isn't the cardboard-tasting pizza served on campus.
The $3,000 a year could be spent on a solid used car, apartment rent, or on the loans that begin to haunt students by their senior year.
With New Years just around the corner, there will be a boatload of people claiming that they want to quit smoking as their resolution. Smoking is not an easy habit to kick, so instead of being inspired by health reasons, I recommend you look to the gaping hole in your wallets. That will be enough motivation to quit.
The opinion desk can be reached at opinion@ubspectrum.com
