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How Tax-Free Smoke Gets From Reservation to Your Lungs

1002008smokeshop.jpgOn Monday Mayor Bloomberg announced a lawsuit against the Poospatuck Indian reservation on Long Island, in an attempt to stop the untaxed sale of 11.3 million cartons of cigarettes on the reservation per year. Today the Times has a great, long article about how the smokes travel from the wholesaler through the reservation and to the streets of New York, where "$5 Men" like "Paco" stand on corners and whisper, "Newports. Loosies. Shorts. Longs." Reporters at the reservation describe a booming business, where cigarette sales are made on a bustling main street and even out of residential trailers. One reporter saw a sign for Justin’s Smokes "on a tree outside a residential trailer. An occupant of the trailer ordered the reporter off the property, telling her it was not a cigarette shop. 'That’s just a sign on a tree,' the woman yelled."

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Comments [rss]

  • ides_of_march

    Thou shalt not light up.

    Bloomberg Commandment #1

  • Snoopy

    GIVE THEM A BREAK! How much did Peter Minuet pay for Manhattan Island? Albeit the view to Brooklyn was part of the deal.

  • WorksInDUMBO

    Like "Gone Fishin'"--it's just a sign. They're not REALLY fishing, you know?

  • MrCow

    it's just a sign on a tree!!

    lmfao

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