And I’m reading NH has put itself in the set of HIGHEST sin tax states, the top two sets (eg $3.50+ and $3-$3.49 ) have all the New England states.
Touching the Atlantic ocean seams to create high taxes. touching the pacific ocean (but not the Berring Straight, which overrides with high taxes again) low taxes.
What is the extent of police authority in these matters? Can they stop any car leaving the reservation, regardless of whether they observe a traffic infraction? That is, does the fact that the car was spotted leaving a reservation (or even a reservation smoke shop) constitute reasonable suspicion for a detention to investigate whether cigarettes are being illegally smuggled off of the reservation?
If a car is so stopped, do those facts legally justify searching the car without the permission of the driver?
On the TV show “Cops,” the police often stop cars that were observed lingering at known drug-dealing houses - but the initial stop is based on observing a traffic violation, after which there are lots of uncomfortable questions about why they were spending time at a drug house, and whether they have drugs in the car. Inevitably someone confesses, or foolishly allows a search of the car, or the officer sees drugs out in the open. But ISTM that if you don’t commit any traffic violation, then they aren’t allowed to stop you in the first place. And if you do, and they start asking questions about contraband, you don’t have to answer them and you don’t have to consent to a search.
Since cigarettes themselves aren’t illegal, would a drug-sniffing dog that triggers on tobacco be of any use at all?
Not an authoritative answer by any means, but I once lived in Evansville, IN, where a little squib of Kentucky lies north of the Ohio River. Every once in awhile the Indiana State Police would crack down on cigarette smuggling. Two cartons, no questions asked. More than two cartons, you’d better be able somehow to justify your claim they were for personal use.
In the 80s I would occasionally head south on vacation. I did not smoke tobacco, but many friends did. I would stop on my way home and fill two shopping carts with cartons of cigs. I don’t think I even knew I was breaking the law.
Are you breaking the law to buy cigarettes in one state and bring them into another one? That seems unlikely; I don’t smoke and I’ve never bought cigarettes but I’ve certainly bought plenty of other goods in other states (and in Canada) and brought them into New York.
I figured you weren’t breaking any laws unless you tried to resell the stuff you bought in another state.
Not to mention the station on I-15 at Murrieta.
I gave up smoking 6 years ago. Hell, at these prices I might just start back up. 
I suspect quantity matters. Bought a carton of cigarettes out of state? Probably for personal use. Bought 870 cartons out of state? Expect a smuggling charge.
I don’t know about cigarettes specifically, but sales taxes are typically used in conjunction with use taxes depending upon the state. Use taxes you pay in the state in which you consume or use the good. That’s why you pay your own state sales tax to the state in which you live and not Washington State when you buy from Amazon. This actually applies to every purchase. Technically, if I go to Pennsylvania and buy a shirt and don’t pay sales tax, I owe a use tax to my state of 6%. We are supposed to report those on our income taxes. You do get credit for paying out of state taxes though, so if I go somewhere with a 5% rate, then I would only owe my state 1% of the purchase. To be honest though, it’s rarely if ever enforced except for businesses just due to how much of a headache it would be. I don’t think anyone is keeping their receipts for every little thing they buy from out of state. I’m 7 miles from the border and buy stuff across state lines pretty regularly. I don’t have the foggiest idea how I would go about accounting for it all. Since I try to obey the spirit of the law, I’ll typically just make a stab at it and say it’s a few hundred dollars a year and add an extra 50 bucks or so to my tax bill. Most people I know don’t even bother doing that.
I don’t know the legalities. I just know they do it regularly.
I know that at times (especially around holidays) they do ‘sobriety checkpoints’, where they stop every car (even without any traffic violations), and ask the drivers & passengers questions. And some of them are required to perform DWI tests. And they usually arrest several drunk drivers in every one of these. These have been upheld in court many times.
I know that California has border stations where they check for various fruits & vegetables that could possibly carry plant diseases or pests. They stop every car, without any observed traffic violations. I guess those are legal.
I know Minnesota & the Dakotas will stop every horse trailer crossing the border for inspection, and demand to see your Veterinary Coggins certificate. That is apparently legal, without any traffic violations by the drivers.
it’s been argued that illegal cigarette smoking costs New York State $1.65 billion in taxes in the most recent guesstimate New York has the highest cigarette tax with New York City tacking on even more
In the wake of the popularity of “The Godfather” book and movies there was a number of books such as “Killer: The Autobiography of a Mafia Hit Man” by David Fisher and Joey the Hit Man (apparently these two didn’t make the same agreement that Francis Ford Coppola and producer Al Ruddy made with reputed Mob boss Joe Columbo Sr not to use the words Mafia or Cosa Nostra). Joey claimed that cigarette smuggling was very profitable, that he could walk into any place and say “who wants to buy cigarettes?” and get plenty of business. Never saw that happened anyplace I ever worked, though
:rolleyes: