Cigarette taxes have two primary purposes: to collect revenue and to deter smoking.

On the first, it’s too early to tell whether the increase in Maine’s cigarette tax from $1 to $2 per pack will pay off as projected for the state. On the second, however, the early evidence is that the tax hike is encouraging people to kick the habit.

As the Sun Journal reported last week, calls to the Maine Tobacco Helpline (800-207-1230) have boomed since the higher tax took effect. The call center, which has been helping smokers to quit since 2001, saw its volume blossom from 250 calls a week to as many as 300 calls in a single day.

Dora Mills, director of Maine’s Bureau of Health, attributes the spike directly to the tax. As prices rise, consumers have an incentive to use less.

Smoking is a dangerous, unhealthy habit. Most people don’t need to be convinced of that; they already know it. According to state statistics, 70 percent of smokers say they want to stop. The extra buck a pack is just the incentive they need to quit.

The Tobacco Helpline staffers are trained to counsel smokers on the best strategies to overcome their addiction and to provide the emotional support necessary to build self-confidence.

Even at $2 a pack, the taxes the state collects from cigarettes don’t come close to paying for the social costs of smoking. On a personal level, smoking kills. But it also has an enormous impact on the rest of the community in the form of external costs not factored into the price. People who smoke are less productive, don’t live as long and face increased risk of chronic and deadly illness, including cancer, heart disease and stroke. According to the American Cancer Society, cigarette smoking accounts for 30 percent of all cancer deaths and can reduce a man’s life expectancy by 13.2 years and a woman’s by 14.5 years.

Communities close to the state border have reported an increase in traffic as Mainers cross over to buy cheaper smokes in New Hamsphire. As long as they’re willing to make the drive, they’ll escape the burden of the higher tax. They’ll pay instead with their time and gas, which is more incentive to quit.

The Maine Tobacco Helpline is an effective tool for battling nicotine addiction. The state boasts that 23 percent of callers report being smoke-free six months after getting help. The success rate jumps to almost 36 percent when combined with nicotine therapy, which is available at no cost to callers without medical insurance.

Few government programs show signs of success as quickly as the cigarette tax increase. The $2 tax is good public health policy.