If you're a smoker expect to pay even more for a pack of cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Effective April 1, 2017 , a new tobacco tax goes into effect. As of Saturday , the tax on a pack of cigarettes will increase $2.00 , from $0.87 to $2.87. The increase is a result of voters passing Proposition 56 , the California Healthcare , Research and Prevention Tax , last November. The state's new tax also affects tobacco products like electronic cigarettes and eliquids , which are taxed based on their wholesale cost.

Proposition 56 funds tobacco-use prevention programs , the new state Oral Health Program and research on tobacco-related illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. It also strengthens the Medi-Cal health care system and provides additional resources to the California Department of Public Health to enforce underage tobacco-sales laws.

Californians who want to quit smoking can call the California Smoker's Helpline at 1-800-No Butts. According to CDPH Director Dr. Karen Smith , quitting smoking today could save you nearly $1,500 in just one year.