Revenues up in Smoke

A drop in smoking is good for states, right? Healthier residents, lower strain on health care systems, etc.

But there's at least one way it hurts states -- lower revenues from cigarette taxes:

Across the country, states are putting their treasuries under pressure by adopting smoking restrictions as well as higher cigarette taxes, which appear to be discouraging people from lighting up, as many health activists had hoped would happen.

More on the 13th Floor: Unintended Consequences