The latest hikes on cigarettes are a perfect illustration of just how short-sighted politicians can be. State and local governments have gone on a binge of cigarette tax increases lately. They seemed to be under the impression that the tax increases were a win-win scenario. Tax revenues would go up, or smoking would decrease, or both.

It would seem as though they completely missed, or shall we say failed to see, the likelihood of a third outcome. Some politicians today continue to deny that it is very likely that while some cigarette smokers will kick the habit, others will turn to smuggling, or buying on the black market, to evade state and local taxes. The new tax legislation will undoubtedly increase crime, as the demand for black market cigarettes increases. As this demand increases, hijackings and theft of cigarettes and cigarettes shipments will increase. This may put a strain on law enforcement, in a time where our efforts are better spent fighting the war on terror.

While I personally am not a smoker, I can see that the real agenda of anti-smoking advocates is to either control behavior, or increase revenue from those who would not be controlled. Sin taxes have been around for decades, and you'd think that our lesson would have been learned during the prohibition years. The governments attempt to outlaw the manufacture, sale, and consumption of liquor was a dramatic failure, and served as a springboard for organized crime. As the price of legal cigarettes goes up, so does the profitability of black market smokes, and this will prove to be too tempting for some criminals to simply ignore. I wonder how many people will die from the increased hijackings and hold ups. What will the price of cigarettes be then?