this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2025
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Its pretty notable that almost all the smokers I know have moved over to black market imports. $2+ per cigarette means that a pack of black markets charged at $1 per cigarette make it far to tempting, and there is a big enough profit margin on them that people will bring them in to the country despite enforcement actions.
They haven't been able to stop weed, or cocaine, or heroin or ice what makes them think they will be able to stop tobacco products, especially when there is a legal version of cigarettes and e-cigarettes out there that at first glance can be hard to tell apart from the illegal ones.
I also heard that there is a tobacconist who couldn't get a license in my old home town, so they pivoted to selling novelty products above board and illegal cigarettes under the counter. The council basically posed them the option of stay in business and break the law or shut down.
The tax on cigarettes is basically just racketeering; the government extracting a cut from drug addicts. The tax went well beyond the burden on the healthcare system a long time ago, and they don't even use it on the healthcare system, so fuck 'em.
They were stupid to think they could increase it forever without a black market filling the gap. Neolibs have learned nothing.
Well that is their special skill, and their happy place.