Robert J. Cain: Tobacco tax answer

George Will’s April 23 column “When bootleggers, Baptists meet” highlights a glaring hypocrisy in states’ contortions regarding their (and the federal government’s) taxation of tobacco: “Proclaiming morality while practicing cupidity, states have tried to hit the sweet spot of cigarette taxes – high enough to maximize revenue without excessively discouraging smoking.”

If cigarettes are so dangerous to health, impelling mandatory warnings on the packet and strictly banning all advertising, why is it still legal to sell them? Could Will have stumbled across the answer to this conundrum?

This story was originally published April 30, 2015 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Robert J. Cain: Tobacco tax answer."