Cook Relies on Smoking.

The article reports that the Cook County Board of Commissioners has approved a budget for fiscal 2006 that depends in part cigarette tax increase to close a 95 million dollar revenue gap. A two dollar increase of cigarette tax will become 4.05 dollar in federal, state, city and county taxes on one pack of cigarettes. The board has also found funds in the budget that meet a court mandate for hiring guards at the county's jail.