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Smokers have developed a persecution complex as many state governments have turned to cigarette taxes as a way to raise revenues. They have found out that if they raise the taxes on cigarettes too high, people will find aways around them. When people need a nicotine fix, they will find any number of ways to get one. The most common way of getting around the excessive cigarette taxes is to smoke cigarillos or for people to roll their own cigarettes. The government may still charge sin taxes on these items, but they are not as high as the taxes on cigarettes.

Although the government could come to its senses and cut tobacco taxes to a reasonable revenue if they wanted to make revenue on tobacco taxes. Many governments do not see things that way. They see tax increases as the only way to raise revenue, even though tax revenue from cigarettes has declined. The high taxes have spawned a thriving black market and a bustling cigarette trade on many Indian reservations. Government may not want to stand for the tobacco industry trade tricks used get around the high taxes, but the taxes are in place to get people to stop smoking.