Some lower-income smokers find workarounds like roll-your-own cigarettes or “little cigars” which look a lot like cigarettes but aren’t subject to the same taxes.
I did tobacco cessation counseling for a couple years. One of the most eye-opening exercises we did with people was to calculate what they would save (just in cigarette money) if they quit, and how else they could spend that money. Where I live, a pack-a-day habit costs smokers about $250 per month.
In my experience, smokers generally have a good understanding of the costs (economic, health, social, etc.), AND it’s still a really hard habit to kick. My professional bias is that mental health issues (anxiety, trauma, etc.) often have a lot to do with both why people start smoking and why it’s so hard to quit.
