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The dark side of Aspen’s raising the tobacco-purchase age

On May 31, KMOV-TV in St. Louis reported on a federal bust of 35 convenience store owners who were participating in a ring to source cigarettes in low tax jurisdictions and bootleg them to high tax jurisdictions. Descriptions of some of the miscreants are outright scary. Very sketchy characters. See http://www.kmov.com/story/35558288/35-st-louis-area-convenience-store-owners-indicted-following-federal-raids.

With the best of intentions but typical disregard for reality, Aspen’s virtue-signaling City Council just raised the minimum age to buy cigarettes in Aspen to 21. This will reduce Aspen’s sales tax receipts for sure. But will it prevent locals under the age of 21 from obtaining and consuming cigarettes? Only a fool would think so.

Be on the lookout for sketchy, scary people, like the ones in St. Louis, soon to appear in Aspen to fill the gap just created by City Council. Good work.



Maurice Emmer

Aspen