BOSTON - Massachusetts lawmakers have voted to increase the tax on cigarettes by $1, but they are also considering an end to price controls on packs and cartons.

A 1945 law set minimum prices for cigarettes. For example, Massachusetts retailers can't sell a pack of Marlboros for less than $4.97 or face fines of $500.

The amendment to the tax hike by Sen. Richard Tisei passed in the Senate. The Wakefield Republican said prices could drop slightly, even with the new tax, but federal antitrust and predatory pricing laws would prevent retailers from selling cigarettes below cost.

Anti-smoking activists said the price controls discourage smokers by keeping prices high.