Hutch Starskey
Diamond Member
- Mar 24, 2015
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I've heard of people getting them illegally from other countries or even other states online, but I don't hear too much about people getting busted for dealing in illegal cigarettes.
Sell 'Em if You Got 'Em: Cigarette Taxes Help Make Smuggling Smokes Profitable
A trunk or a truck filled with cases of smokes can yield a five-to-seven-figure payday. It’s a temptation that many—including small-time criminals, cops, military personnel, convenience store owners, cigarette wholesalers, and organized crime—can’t pass up. A roundup of recent stories:
Yes, I've heard of it before, but not very often. Are blackmarket cigarette dealings really a HUGE problem today in America? I think not. They probably would be if they were made illegal though.
It's a problem because:
1) A loss of tax revenue
2) Government has to waste time enforcing it
3) Creates a general disrespect for the law.
4) The profits have begun to get to the point where violence is becoming part of the equation.
The fact remains that it is LESS of a problem when legalized. The lessens illegal demand for the product.
From a law enforcement point yes. We still need to see how legalization impacts things like driving while impaired, or increases in access to underage users. That type of data takes years to develop.
I don't expect any real difference at all. Underaged users were able to procure it before and those inclined to be stoned everyday were still stoned everyday.
Where I think the biggest difference will be Is with people like me who enjoy pot but didn't use it because of the legal risks associated with it.
When legalized, I will be happily mowing my lawn sporting a shit eating grin.