[cripplecreek]

Between the taxes, EPA dust regulation of farms, and FDA regulation of tobacco, the tobacco industry is walking dead.

Non smokers should prepare for the next round of taxes. How does a 2200% tax increase for prepared foods sound? And when the resturants are crushed it will be something else.

[o_zarkman44]

Grow tobbacco. Soon to be as profitable as illegal marijuana on the black market.

What will be the next consumer item taxed specifically to support government health care?

Potato Chips? Soda? Beer , wine and spirits?
Lunch meat? Bread? Rice? Coffee?

To think nobody will be impacted by consumption taxes is shrill lunacy. The feds are coming to save us. Run Run Run!

[mylife]

Dang it! I just went to order a case of turkish tobacco at D&R before the tax goes int effect and there is nothing any longer "available"

[Oatka]

This program-based-on-tobacco-tax was a fraud from the start. You don’t support a program by adding horrific taxes on specific products - “bad” or otherwise and expect a steady or increasing income.

They intended to tax general revenue from the start and used the tax-on-tobacco smokescreen (no pun intended) to slide it through. People will go black market or just quit and collapse whatever revenue stream this tax was supposed to provide.

[Clinging Bitterly]

After the last round of increases in these parts, lots of folks went to rollies, but the new 0bama tax increase covers that too (for folks making over $250,000 of course).

Might see more rows of Burley in home gardens this year.

[mysterio]

It will effect nonsmokers because eventually they will run out of smokers to persecute. The overweight are next in line, and then drinkers. Glad to be free of tobacco, myself, though. That was a losing proposition for me all around.

[AuntB]

Everyone around here seems to be buying from the local Indian tribe. Indians don’t get taxed, which is just more ‘equal justice’ nonsense.

[Gabz]

BUY TOBACCO --- IT'S FOR THE CHILRUN.........

They were WARNED --- but no one listened.

So much for the "convenient conservatives" who gloated over the punishing of those who enjoy tobacco product.

[merican]

“According to the Arizona Department of Revenue, increased taxes on tobacco will increase black market sales as well as tobacco smuggling from Mexico.”

If that happens cigarettes will become much more of a gateway drug than they already are because people will be buying them from the same people who sell illegal drugs. Smokers who buy cigarettes from the black market will have increased exposure to illegal drugs and increased opportunities to use and buy them.

[Centurion2000]

EFFECT? Come on already !! If it's worth writing and posting it's worth knowing grammar 101.

That's just annoying.

[elkfersupper]

The sad thing is that the smuggled tobacco products will be those that are grown and manufactured here, exported, then imported for sale on the street at a lower price.

Along with drug legalization, we should re-legalize tobacco.

(While we're at it, we should consider re-legalizing booze).