Sunday, December 30, 2018

Why 2019 Will Be Another Boom Year for Cigarette Bootleggers in New York City


The abuse hurled at the 860,000 cigarette smokers in New York City is about to intensify.

New York City is already the cigarette smuggling capital of the nation.

That's because New York state has a state tax of $4.35 per pack, and the city adds on another $1.50.

But the busybody freaks need to harass smokers even more, which means things are about to get better for cigarette bootleggers.

Starting Jan. 1, pharmacies and businesses that contain pharmacies, such as supermarkets and big-box stores, will be banned from selling cigarettes or other tobacco products in New York City. The change will affect about 500 pharmacies currently selling tobacco products and reduce the total number of retailers licensed to sell tobacco by about 6.4%, according to the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Walgreens, which sells cigarettes at its 260 stores including Duane Reade stores across the five boroughs, and Rite Aid , with just over 100 stores affected, will be forced to comply with the ban.

This can't do anything but help the street bootleggers. If I was a bootlegger, I would set up shop right outside the busiest Walgreen's in the city that I could find and set regular hours.

-RW

3 comments:

  1. With a name like "Department of Health and Mental Hygiene" it makes you wonder what limits, if any, the officials think they have to regulate our lives. Scary.

    ReplyDelete
  2. There's one thing government seems to be good at: Creating black markets.

    ReplyDelete