Though cigarette prices escalated after the first of the year, area businesses haven’t noticed a dramatic change in cigarette purchases.

The $206 billion settlement deal by Big Tobacco sent cigarette prices skyrocketing to an average of $2.45 per package, according to The New York Times.

Ron Nesler, assistant manager of Wal-Mart, 3015 Grand Ave., said his store has not noticed a decline in cigarette purchases, but he said he would not be surprised if sales dropped in the future if the government continues to crackdown on the tobacco industry.

“Things are pretty much the same right now, but if the price of cigarettes keeps going up, I imagine we will slow down our sales. We’ll spend what we can to get them in, but it all depends on the affordability of cigarettes for the customer,” he said.

Trish Hemmersbach, undecided sophomore, said although she used to smoke heavily, the price hike had something to do with her quitting the habit.

“It’s more expensive now,” she said. “I ended up buying significantly less cigarettes and using them more sparingly.”

Hemmersbach said she was concerned that the government was trying to nullify smoking altogether.

“At first, I was upset because I felt like they were trying to take away a right that we have. It’s a matter of freedom of choice,” she said. “It’s like they are trying to raise it to the point where there’s is absolutely no smoking at all.”

Anita Dias, junior in biochemistry and genetics, said although she is not a heavy smoker, she doesn’t agree with recent legislation to increase cigarette prices.

“I don’t think it’s fair for anyone to raise the prices of cigarettes just so it would be harder for people to smoke,” she said.

Brooke Brewington, manager of Kum & Go, 203 Welch Ave., said a new law forcing businesses to keep cigarettes behind the counter has not changed sales figures yet, either.

“It’s not affecting sales that much, but it’s annoying,” she said.

“In the future, it could be a very convenient thing. It’s easier to deny people without IDs, and there is less theft,” she said.