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The US once tried to outlaw Alcoholic Beverages, it was called prohibition. Outlawing alcohol created a huge underground business in alcohol trade that was run by criminals who became very rich because they did not pay taxes on the sale of the alcohol. The amendment that outlawed alcohol was finally repealed. The alcohol industry was again in the hands of legitimate businesses who paid the taxes.

The government knows that the same thing will happen if cigarettes are outlawed. Currently, the state and federal governments collect large sums of money (cigarettes are one of the highest taxed items sold in the US) from the legitimate sale of cigarettes.

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13y ago

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