NEW YORK STATE -- A pack of cigarettes goes up by a $1.25 on June 3rd and New York's Health Commissioner has a plan to help thousands of people who are going to try to quit when the new tax goes into effect.

Dr. Richard Daines says the state is committed to reaching out to help those who want to quit smoking.

"We see it has a linked program, the price may be the first signal that says to someone give cessation a try, but we don't want them out there on their own, they need to hook in with nicotine replacement, cessation programs, therapy and all of that," Daines said.

The cigarette tax has been going up steadily for several years now, bringing the total tax on just one pack of cigarettes to $2.75.