Letter: Cigarette smuggling increases smoking rate

It’s time for New York leaders to wake up and start listening to state law enforcement professionals. The adult smoking rate is going up because of the growing crime wave of cigarette smuggling in the Empire State, not because of budget cuts to anti-tobacco programs. Each year investigative experts estimate that between 50 percent and 60 percent of all cigarettes smoked in New York City are trafficked via the black market. Smokers are spending less for illegal contraband cigarettes than ever before, making it easier to light up.