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Cigarette Sales Increase By More Than A Million Packs From 2014 To 2015 In Colorado

By Kathy Walsh

DENVER (CBS4) - Cigarette sales in Colorado have increased for the first time in nearly a decade. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reports more than a million additional packs were sold in 2015 over 2014.

Cathi Trail, manager of a Smoker Friendly store in Denver, says business is very good. The state sales numbers back that up. According to the Health Department, there were 194.4 million packs of cigarettes bought in Colorado in 2015, up 1.1 million (.7 percent) from 2014. It is the first increase in state cigarette sales in nearly a decade.

Smoking cigarette
(credit: CBS)

Sales hovered around 300 million packs a year from 1990 through 2004, the year voters raised taxes by 64 cents per pack. Sales plummeted to 226.7 million packs in 2005 when the tax took effect, bounced back temporarily in 2006, then continued to decline over the next decade to a low of 193.2 million packs in 2014.

CBS4 Health Specialist Kathy Walsh asked Dr. Larry Wolk, executive director of CDPHE, if the increase in sales means more people are now smoking.

"Our numbers say that there are fewer people smoking, but the trend is starting to fall off a bit," said Wolk.

Wolk is concerned that with more cigarettes being sold, more people may be lighting up in the next few years. He blames the price of a pack.

"The cost of a pack of cigarettes here in Colorado is amongst the cheapest in the country," said Wolk.

Wolk said the average state cigarette tax is about $1.55. In Colorado, it's just 84 cents.

"We know that price makes a difference when it comes to prevention," said Wolk.

Trail isn't buying it. She doesn't believe if you hit people in the pocketbook, they will stop smoking.

"We would probably lose maybe for 3 to 6 months, but then people that want to smoke are still going to smoke," said Trail.

Colorado's 84-cent-per-pack tax ranks 37th in the nation. The chair of the Colorado Tobacco Free Alliance, Bob Doyle, was asked if there is an effort to raise the tax. In an email Doyle wrote, "It's always an ongoing discussion among our partners and others but no decision on when it will happen."

Kathy Walsh is CBS4's Weekend Anchor and Health Specialist. She has been with CBS4 for more than 30 years. She is always open to story ideas. Follow Kathy on Twitter @WalshCBS4.

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