When the clock struck midnight, the state's cigarette tax increased by 50 cents per pack.
South Carolina has now gone from 7 cents per pack to 57 cents per pack.
Some of the stores NewsChannel 15 checked in with said they've had smokers come in over the past few days to stock up on cartons of cigarettes while the cost was cheap.
While some smokers were stocking up, others didn't see the point,
"I don't have the money to do that, and it would be just pointless," said Jeffrey Hall. "I mean, I'm going to have to buy more eventually."
Paula Roberts said she stocked up ahead of the tax hike. "I bought 8 cartons of them," Roberts said.
The revenue generated from the tax increase will go toward offsetting the cost of Medicaid in South Carolina.
