Hidden Brain: How Cigarette Taxes Affect Food Buying

FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2012 file photo, packs of cigarettes are seen on display at a news stand in Chicago. On Friday, March 1, 2013, taxes on cigarettes sold in Cook County are going up by one dollar a pack. Anti-smoking activists say Chicago is now the second-most expensive place in the nation to buy cigarettes, behind New York City. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)
FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2012 file photo, packs of cigarettes are seen on display at a news stand in Chicago. Charles Rex Arbogast/AP, file
FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2012 file photo, packs of cigarettes are seen on display at a news stand in Chicago. On Friday, March 1, 2013, taxes on cigarettes sold in Cook County are going up by one dollar a pack. Anti-smoking activists say Chicago is now the second-most expensive place in the nation to buy cigarettes, behind New York City. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)
FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2012 file photo, packs of cigarettes are seen on display at a news stand in Chicago. Charles Rex Arbogast/AP, file

Hidden Brain: How Cigarette Taxes Affect Food Buying

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

A new study shows a connection between cigarette taxes and food stamps. When cigarette taxes go up, smokers end up spending more of their income on cigarettes and that leaves less money for food.

Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.