I was just kidding (kinda) with cigs @ $12+ per pack in NYC. I’m pretty sure the escalation started with the Clintons and their anti-smoking jihad. I seem to recall you could get a pack for $3 before they showed up. (or $1+/pack here in VA)
I remember when I was a teenager, and we went on a family trip to the Southeast. Cigarettes were still only around $2.50 a pack then by me, but when we got to Raleigh, North Carolina, I was in heaven. $1.00 a pack for all the “major” brands, and .50 a pack for some “off” brands.
I thought I’d only had enough cash for a pack, and ended up with 3 packs for the rest of the trip. I think it was just kismet that Raleigh happened to be the town I was able to sneak off from the folks long enough to run to the gas station to buy some. I was a bit worried about getting “carded” still, but the old man behind the counter couldn’t have cared less. I imagine that 12 year olds are probably regular customers down there :)