At first, Cory Holland thought government anti-smoking measures were working when he noticed tobacco sales at his British Columbia convenience store started to drop.
“Unbeknownst to me, this illegal market of contraband tobacco was growing rapidly,” said Holland. “Our sales are down 50 per cent compared to three years ago. Last year, half of my staff were smoking .” The Convenience Retailers Alliance 4 Safe Communities says in a statement its most recent data and studies indicate “that illegal tobacco makes up more than 30 per cent of our province’s tobacco market, putting B.C. as one of the worst provinces when it comes to contraband in Canada.”
The Ministry of Finance says in a statement that B.C. strictly regulates the sale, purchase, possession and transportation of tobacco and the province has taken steps to combat the sale and use of contraband tobacco. A spokesman for one of Canada’s largest tobacco companies said it warned the B.C. government about growing crime involvement in the tobacco market but the response has been limited.
It's almost like you can't control people though legislation and taxation
Good, smoking is so 1970s..