One of Five Cigarettes Smoked in Minnesota Comes From the Black Market

Taxes created an entrepreneurial opportunity

Next time you see a group of co-workers head out for a smoke break, take a deep breath:  One in five Minnesota smokers on average lights up a bootlegged cigarette, sending millions of dollars of lost state tax revenue from the $1.58 per pack tobacco tax up in smoke, as well.

An estimated 20 percent of cigarettes marketed in Minnesota are smuggled in from other states, placing Minnesota 16th on the list of states with the biggest bootlegging problem in a newly released national study.