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

[madville]

9. He is correct that high taxes create an underground market

To apply it solely to a specific case or person doesn't quite fit, certainly a contributing factor though.

Our cigarette tax here is $1 a pack, an average pack is about $4.50, cartons in the $35-50 dollar range.

I've never seen or even heard of the idea of anyone selling a loose cigarette or black market cigarettes. The NY people probably buy cigarettes down here to sell up there to get around the high tax.

Drug laws created by politicians are responsible for thousands of deaths and ruined lives at the hands of the police and justice system, same idea.