DES MOINES – Smoking in Iowa became more expensive Thursday morning when Gov. Chet Culver signed legislation increasing the cigarette tax by $1 per pack.

Culver signed the bill at a raucous ceremony in the Capitol rotunda, amid shouts and whistles by about 200 supporters.

“With signing this bill, we are sending a bold message across the state and around the nation that Iowa takes the health care of people, especially of kids, seriously,” Culver said.

The increase will take Iowa’s 36 cent cigarette tax to $1.36 a pack and will raise the tax on other tobacco products by a commensurate amount. The higher tax begins immediately, but cigarettes on store shelves will retain the old prices until they sell out. Culver has pushed hard for the increase, which he said will discourage children from smoking and prompt some adults to quit. Money raised from the higher tax will be spent on expanded health care programs.

The House approved the increase late Tuesday, less than a week after the measure was passed in the Senate.

Kerry Wise, a spokeswoman for the American Lung Association who attend Thursday’s event, was ecstatic.

“This day is just a huge breath of fresh air,” Wise said. “Just to see it come to a completion is just amazing.”