So... the little New England town I live in next to Worcester, MA has enacted new laws and regulations regarding the sale of tobacco products.
To start off with, tax has increased 20% to $3.01 on packs of cigarettes. Tax on roll-your-own products has doubled. Last year I was buying a 6 oz. can of tobacco for $13 - then one day I go to buy one and it was $26 - the frickin' price doubled over night!! This is an effort to raise $260 million to add to the state's budget.
Bear in mind that in the past the state has hiked cig tax to, "pay for and make freely available smoking cessation products." Yeah, about 5% of the revenue generated went to that program. The rest went to pay for the Big Dig and to line pockets.
The new town regulations include:
1. Cigars must be sold in packs of 4 or more
2. Single cigars must be over $2.50
3. It is illegal to sell 'blunt wraps' - but apparently it's OK to sell 'glassware' at the smoke shop (Shhhhhh! Don't say anything or they'll take that too!)
4. Stores may no longer have 'roll your own' machines - Stores were getting automatic rolling machines and customers were able to pick out the tobacco they wanted and have the machine roll it all up in a jiffy.
5. Any store that has a pharmacy in it (WalMart / supermarkets) may no longer sell tobacco products - So WalMart no longer sells butts, but the gas station and the smoke shop right next door does.
6. No vending machines (I have no problem with this one)
7. Stores cannot give free samples - including with manufacturer coupons
8. No store may sell packs of cigarettes for less than what the government says is the minimum price
9. No store may sell packs of cigarettes that contain less than 20 cigarettes
Smokers are getting porked again without any say in the matter. Smokers are a voting minority and what politician in their right mind would stick up for dirty, blue collar, lung cancer infested, child corrupting, hop-heads? Smells like a cross between a dirty ashtray and taxation without fair representation. When the people get upset about the government bilking them for money by raising tolls on the Pike, the next target is always the smokers.
They say, as they always do, they want to raise money for smoking cessation programs, they want to make people quit smoking, they want to keep tobacco products away from kids, they don't want people smoking pot.
They say...
Comments?
To start off with, tax has increased 20% to $3.01 on packs of cigarettes. Tax on roll-your-own products has doubled. Last year I was buying a 6 oz. can of tobacco for $13 - then one day I go to buy one and it was $26 - the frickin' price doubled over night!! This is an effort to raise $260 million to add to the state's budget.
Bear in mind that in the past the state has hiked cig tax to, "pay for and make freely available smoking cessation products." Yeah, about 5% of the revenue generated went to that program. The rest went to pay for the Big Dig and to line pockets.
The new town regulations include:
1. Cigars must be sold in packs of 4 or more
2. Single cigars must be over $2.50
3. It is illegal to sell 'blunt wraps' - but apparently it's OK to sell 'glassware' at the smoke shop (Shhhhhh! Don't say anything or they'll take that too!)
4. Stores may no longer have 'roll your own' machines - Stores were getting automatic rolling machines and customers were able to pick out the tobacco they wanted and have the machine roll it all up in a jiffy.
5. Any store that has a pharmacy in it (WalMart / supermarkets) may no longer sell tobacco products - So WalMart no longer sells butts, but the gas station and the smoke shop right next door does.
6. No vending machines (I have no problem with this one)
7. Stores cannot give free samples - including with manufacturer coupons
8. No store may sell packs of cigarettes for less than what the government says is the minimum price
9. No store may sell packs of cigarettes that contain less than 20 cigarettes
Smokers are getting porked again without any say in the matter. Smokers are a voting minority and what politician in their right mind would stick up for dirty, blue collar, lung cancer infested, child corrupting, hop-heads? Smells like a cross between a dirty ashtray and taxation without fair representation. When the people get upset about the government bilking them for money by raising tolls on the Pike, the next target is always the smokers.
They say, as they always do, they want to raise money for smoking cessation programs, they want to make people quit smoking, they want to keep tobacco products away from kids, they don't want people smoking pot.
They say...
Comments?
