“In the black market you have to pay 110 bolivares [$0.50] for a roll of toilet paper that usually costs 17 bolivares [$ 0.08] in the supermarket ... I don’t have four hours a day to line up for toilet paper” at a supermarket”
And there’s the whole crux of the matter right there. 50 cents for a roll of toilet paper under the circumstances is not even close to a ripoff; in fact, it’s actually a pretty good deal in a country whose production infrastructure is a complete shambles. 8 cents a roll on the other hand has to be WAY below actual production or import costs, which of course is why essentially none is available at that price.
The natural and immutable laws of cost, supply and demand ALWAYS find a way to work, no matter what kinds of controls governments try to impose. Trying to stop the marketplace from working by government regulation is pretty much as futile as outlawing gravity and then expecting stuff to stop falling out of the sky.
Share the wealth programs always end up as share the poverty programs.