Your wellness efforts to get employees to quit smoking may have gotten a boost—from the federal government. A new excise tax on tobacco goes into effect today, April 1, which adds approximately $1.01 to the cost of a pack of cigarettes. This is an increase from 39¢ per pack. And states are also raising their taxes on cigarettes to help with budget deficits (see http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/cigarette.htm for your state tax).

People wary of spending in this economy have also quit smoking as a way of cutting costs. “They simply can't afford to be tobacco users anymore,” Pamela Luckett, director of the Mississippi Quitline, told the Clarion Ledger.

Also, several major shippers have agreed voluntarily not to handle shipments of cigarettes to individuals across state lines, so there are less ways to obtain “cheap” cigarettes. And, yes, reduced health insurance premiums for nonsmokers may also be an incentive to quit.

So as cigarette prices rise, consumption goes down and the need for cessation resources rises. The Clarion Ledger reports that in March, calls to the Mississippi Quitline were double the average, and even in Kentucky , which has the highest percentage of smokers in any state, calls to the state's Quitline are up 23 percent.

Added to additional restrictions on where employees can smoke, this may be the perfect time to introduce or reintroduce cessation programs for employees by publicizing them in company publications and on intranets. Also, contact your health insurance provider and state or county department of health about the availability of free or low-cost cessation programs or discounts on cessation products.

Reduction in smoking not only lowers absenteeism and claims for chronic diseases caused by tobacco smoke, but boost productivity, critical in this economy.