Smoke ‘em only if you can fucking afford ‘em, New Yorkers. With the average price of a pack of cigarettes in NYC soaring above $10, many nicotine addicts previously forced into the cold by Mayor Bloomie’s bar smoking ban are now being forced to make an even tougher choice. Thanks to recent tax raises on every pack of smokes, the NYC price –- an average of 55 cents per cancer stick — is the highest in the nation and more than twice the national average.

“They know they can cash in on smokers like me,” says one puffer. “The most frustrating thing is it’s going to cost me around 80 bucks a week now.” More than 20,000 New Yorkers are expected to quit after the price increase.

Call 311 to quit for free nicotine patches or gum