[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

As I have said, I would put the drug gangs out of work and make drugs legal and let it be sold just like liquor.

That would work. But that is also a separate issue. My point was that NST alone (without legalization) would not capture any tax from drug dealers. People who think it would are making an incomplete analysis of all the actors involved.

[Principled]

First, it's an NRST. THere's a big difference. Second, the drug dealer will pay more of his taxes under the nrst.

Today, the drug dealer only pays a portion of his tax burden, the part embedded in prices (he pays none of his income tax nor any of his FICA.) But under the nrst, ones full tax burden is paid thru purchases for retail consumption...the drug dealer begins paying his full burden via consumption. Under the income tax, the dealer only pays a portion of his taxes, under the nrst the dealer pays all his taxes. Hence the drug dealer pays more tax under the nrst.