Tennessee’s 'cigarette police' targeting smugglers, not smokers

Kingsport (TN) Times News ^ | September 25, 2007 | Kevin Castle

[ProfoundMan]

I’m glad they are cracking down on it personally. There have been ties of smugglers with funding going to AL Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. May be the reason for the crack down.

Smugglers require a shortage of some kind in order to make their efforts profitable. In this case, the shortage is of a reasonable priced legal product. Had cigarette prices not been jacked out of all proportion by greedy nanny staters, the environment for smuggling wouldn't exist.

Same could be said about immigration. Govt creates an artificially inflated market with the minimum wage then wonders why people are smuggled in to work for more reasonable rates.

Dear God I'm tired of these people...

[Shots]

Possession of 20 packs or two cartons of cigarettes without Tennessee tobacco revenue stamps is classified as a misdemeanor, according to the agency’s regulations.

Huh???? Well how about going to Knoxville and check the bags of all those returning from cruise none of them have any stamps therefore your stupid law is unconstitutional because federal laws allows you to bring back up to five cartons duty free. DUH

[Wallace T.]

New Hampshire, being the closest thing around to a free state, sent their state police down to the stores and arrested the MA state police.

This sounds like something that Kentucky, Virginia, etc., should do to stop the Tennessee "revenooers" and protect the business interests of their merchants.

[pierrem15]

Sure: the 'Commerce Clause' obviously means that any unit of government has the power to tax the the hell out of anything, ban the 'possession' of anything, interfere with, tax, require fees for or ban any private contract for goods or employment between any entities anywhere in the galaxy.

Clear now?

[Old Professer]

[bfree]

I love the sheer stupidity of government thinking. Raise the tax and cry when people choose to avoid the tax.
Spend many times the dollars to try to enforce a dumb law, than you can collect.

I see nothing wrong with driving to avoid taxes that are punitive in nature.