Minn. border towns smokers weigh options of paying more, driving further or kicking habit

ALBERT LEA, Minn. — Drive farther or pay more for cigarettes. That's the choice confronting smokers in border towns now that a higher cigarette tax has taken effect in Minnesota.

Northern Iowa convenience shops are anecdotally reporting a slight uptick in sales since Minnesota boosted its per-pack tax by $1.60 on July 1, the Albert Lea Tribune reported this week (http://bit.ly/16eo6Z5 ).

When adopting the higher tax, Minnesota lawmakers said the aim was two-fold. They wanted to discourage smoking and hoped to raise more revenue. Including other changes to tobacco taxes, analysts projected the state would generate about $200 million more per year. Officials are conscious of sales that can bleed across borders due to tax disparities.

Iowa's tax on cigarettes is $1.36 per pack — less than half the $2.83 now charged in Minnesota. Among the state's other neighbors: Wisconsin charges $2.52, South Dakota's tax is $1.53 and North Dakota assesses only 44 cents.

At Fallgatter's Market in Northwood, in northern Iowa, a lead clerk said she's selling 20 to 25 more cartons per week.

"I've been having people come down and buy a carton or two," said Johnna Emond, lead daytime cashier at the store.

Jackie Villela, cashier at Don's Motor Mart in Lake Mills, Iowa, said traffic has picked up a bit, partly from Minnesota residents who work in Iowa but are making a concerted effort to buy their cigarettes before heading home.

A Minnesota law restricts residents from bringing more than one carton of cigarettes from another state.

Other cost-conscious smokers may be trying to quit. ClearWay Minnesota, a nonprofit that advocates smoking cessation, reports that in the first two weeks of the month, its website was visited 5,650 times — 289 percent higher than the same time period a year ago. And calls to its QuitPlan Services hotline are also way up, with 900 calls coming in over two weeks.