The state Legislature has agreed on Wednesday to hike the cigarette tax by a $1.25 per pack, bringing the statewide tax to $2.75 per pack.
The original proposed increase was $1.50 per pack.
But an additional city cigarettes tax means that smokers in the five boroughs pay a total of $4.25 in taxes.
A spokesman for the state budget office said the additional money will raise $265 million for the state, much of which would go towards health programs.
The average statewide price for a pack of cigarettes is nearly $6.
Meanwhile scientists say that some smoker's addictions may be partially blamed on genetics.
A study in this week's Nature Genetics Journal says scientists have identified genetic variations that seem to make people more likely to get hooked on cigarettes and more likely to develop lung cancer.
Researchers say a smoker who inherits the trait from both parents has an 80 percent greater chance of developing lung cancer than a smoker who doesn't inherit them.
The findings could potentially lead to screening tests and more personalized treatments for smokers trying to break the habit.
The study looked at genes of more than 35,000 people.
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