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"A pack of cigarettes in Chicago is around $6 and New York City it’s at about $8 relatively speaking," Peterson said. "The argument could be made that ... The recently passed Wisconsin state budget is full of compromises - a rise in the cigarette tax is no exception. As part of Wisconsin’s three-part anti-tobacco initiative, the cigarette tax will increase by $1.

Carla Vigue, a spokeswoman for Gov. Jim Doyle, said the tax is an effort to help prevent children from starting to smoke and aiding smokers in quitting. "The tax is an effort to keep people healthier and keep them from smoking," Vigue said, adding the original proposal was to increase the tax by $1.25. "The tax was part of the compromise and most people agree that helping people to stop smoking is a good idea."

Political science professor Geoff Peterson said the increase in tax should put Wisconsin on par with Minnesota’s tax, but many other cities and states have much higher rates. "A pack of cigarettes in Chicago is around $6 and New York City it’s at about $8 relatively speaking," Peterson said. "The argument could be made that (cigarettes) make people’s health worse, but you could also say that we should tax McDonald’s for the same reason."

Most research about cigarette tax increases shows that it does less to stop people than discourage them from starting, he said. Sophomore Jason Lieble also said many other states charge more for cigarettes than Wisconsin. He said he spends around $25 a week on cigarettes and doesn’t agree with the tax increase because of the heightened taxes elsewhere in the economy. Lieble said he doesn’t plan on changing his spending in the near future.

"I probably won’t do anything because it’s an addiction," he said. "But I am hoping to stop around Christmas time." Wisconsin ranks 29th in the country when it comes to cigarette taxes, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. Minnesota is 17th at $1.49 a pack. New Jersey has the highest tax at $2.58. Vigue said it is still unclear when the tax will go into affect, but when it happens, senior Mike Scafide said he is going to try to call it quits.