Cigarettes are the #1 Contraband in America:
More than half of the cigarettes for sale in New York are smuggled into the state illegally – the highest percentage in the country, according to a recent report from the Tax Foundation.
According to the non-partisan research group, increased excise taxes on cigarettes to discourage smoking have, in fact, created lucrative incentives for black market trafficking between states.
According to the report, 56.9 percent of the cigarettes sold in the Empire State are brought in from other states. New York state has the highest cigarette taxes in the country – a whopping $4.35 a pack. If you live in New York City, it’s another $1.50 per pack, bringing taxes to $5.85 per pack, with the overall cost of a pack in the city in the $12 to $15 range.
When you look at the taxes in the various states it makes sense for anybody willing to do a volume smuggling business. Also that’s not factoring people who cross state lines when its time to stock up on their butts.
This of course needs to be considered with the various state of legality of Marijuana in the nation. I’ll often hear “Progressives” who share my disdain for the war on drugs saying “Legalize it and tax the crap out of it!” Sorry there IS money to be made in recreational drugs, one must be careful not to kill the golden goose, since if the taxes get too high the smugglers will meet the demand at a cut-rate price.
It’s not called weed for nothing. Even here in the northeast, it’ll grow outdoors. It’s not like tobacco that requires significant processing either, just cut it, dry it, smoke it.
Yep, a buddy of mine who grew up in central Maine talked about hunting out in the wilds and stumbling upon a PVC pipe. Since that’s an oddity in the middle of nowhere woods, he followed it for a bit and came across a medium sized flied of weed. Just growing in the open with irrigation to help.
Its also a shame that our war on drugs has gotten rid of fiber hemp as well. Its a crazy fast-growing plant and has a lot of industrial uses that primarily are served by slower growing plants like trees.
It’s called arbitrage.
Notice the BILLIONS in Lost Tax Revenue. Recall the Federal LEOs whose Job it is to stop Illegal Tobacco Trafficking. And yet, it seems the BATFE is more than willing to go after someone who sold a Post-Ban Magazine to a Seller in a State who is only allowed to have Pre-Bans…..