Blacks debate ban on menthol cigarettes - chicagotribune.com

Blacks debate ban on menthol cigarettes - chicagotribune.com



Wow! Good intentions bring about bad outcomes in this article.

We are talking the proverbial "Double Edged Sword" here. I'm going to agree with those opposed to such a ban because of the eventual fallout that will, I say again, will ensue. If there is any doubt about the argument against such a ban, all you have to do is read the article, especially the part on lost revenues cities, and states will lose, and the potential criminal underground market that will emerge.

This excerpt and quote pretty much sums it up:

But banning menthol cigarettes, the company said, would force 30 percent of the cigarette market to go underground and deal a blow to state and federal governments, which would lose $40 billion in excise taxes and settlement fees collected each year from the sale of cigarettes.
"A ban of menthol would not have the consequence of improving public health," said Lorillard spokesman Gregg Perry. "In fact … a ban on menthol cigarettes would fuel an underground criminal enterprise and lead to the illegal sale of more dangerous cigarettes than those now being sold by regulated companies."


Yep, good intentions will surely bring about a bad outcome here.