High Taxes Promote Black Market Cigarettes in Bordering State

Cigarettes are legal in the U.S., but a black market is alive and thriving, generating crime and imposing costs on residents and businesses.To witness this in action one need only cross the state’s southern border and see the busy parking lots of Indiana tobacco shops filled with cars from Michigan, whose occupants are stocking up on smokes that cost a dollar less per pack. One South Bend store even offers drive-thru service. “It doesn’t matter to me, just don’t get caught,” said the clerk when asked if she could sell several cartons to a Michigan resident.

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