Rand Paul blames Eric Garner's death on high NYC cigarette tax

[WhiteAndNerdy]

5. I hate to agree with Rand on anything, but he's right about this.

Cigarette taxes are effective in reducing smoking in a population, but only up to a point. There are some smokers who will not quit no matter how high the taxes get. But what ends up happening, when the taxes become excessive, is the creation of a black market. I read an article a few years ago about that very thing happening in Scotland, IIRC. I don't remember where I saw that article now, but anyone who is interested can do a search. It shouldn't actually surprise anyone that there is a limit on the cigarette taxes people are willing to pay, or that a black market would be the result. It's utterly predictable.

Eric Garner's customers were probably mostly people who couldn't afford a whole pack or carton at a time specifically because of the excessive taxes. Some may have been people who were limiting their smoking or trying to quit, but I would guess most were poor smokers. (It's also worth noting that tobacco taxes are regressive. Most smokers these days are in the lower income brackets and are the ones who can least afford the additional cost, but addicts WILL pay it, even if it means going without other things. It's the nature of addiction.)