Smokers reeling from hike in tobacco tax

SEATTLE, April 3 (UPI) -- The largest-ever increase in U.S. tobacco taxes is prompting an unprecedented volume of calls to quit-smoking hot lines, a Seattle firm reports.

Free & Clear, which runs hot lines for 17 states, says it recorded a 369 percent increase in calls the day the tax hike took effect compared to the same day a year ago, USA Today reported Friday.

The federal cigarette tax went from 62 cents a pack to $1.01 a pack on Wednesday.

"We're seeing magnificent volume because of the tax," Mary Kate Salley of Free & Clear told USA Today.

Similar increases have been reported by the American Cancer Society, which runs quit smoking lines in 11 states.

Karen Brown of the Michigan Department of Community Health said her office couldn't keep up with the volume of calls it received after offering free nicotine replacement products before the tax hike went into effect, USA Today said.