Do we still have a huge problem with bootleggers?
You answered a question with a question. There’s no answer in there. But I’ll answer it anyway: when the taxes on alcohol become too burdensome, bootlegging will become provitable to armed gangs once again. As it is, the long and invovled process of manufacturing alcohol and the effort and materials required to transport it make it unprofitable. Cigarettes, on the other hand, are alive and well on the black market. The more taxes go up, the more the black market grows. I really want to know.
Now, I’ll ask again. If I can walk into any dispensary with a “The Doctor Is In” sign in the window, complain of a headache and get overpriced state-sanctioned weed, why are the gangs in California getting richer and stronger? Honestly, think this through and explain how it works.