The story

Larry Jukes said he remembers when he could buy 10 cigarette packs for $2.50.

But he'd now take the days when -- just last month -- he could buy his carton of choice for $49.

Thanks in part to the largest-ever federal cigarette tax increase -- a nearly 62-cents-a-pack hike that starts Wednesday but was reflected in many prices earlier -- Jukes on Tuesday paid more than $58 for a 10-pack carton at the Cigarette Store in Denver, Colorado. Read full article »

CNN's Jason Hanna, Jim Spellman, John Couwels, Alan Silverleib and Patrick Oppmann contributed to this report.

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