Letter: The contraband cigarettes no worse than billions sold legally

Re: “California sues Postal Service over cigarettes smuggled from overseas” (Page C7, Oct. 23):

Cigarettes sent through the U.S. Postal Service are a health hazard. Baloney. Even though the state cries about the health hazards, its actions make it clear that the lost tax revenue is the only issue they care about.

We can safely deduce that because state and federal officials in general allow smoking, which kills 480,000 each year. Those few contraband cigarettes are no more dangerous than the 249 billion (cdc.gov) sold by our own tobacco companies in 2017.

The only issue is that these imports pay no taxes and their manufacturers do not pay millions to our politicians.

John Rexroat
Concord

Submit your letter to the editor via this form
Read more Letters to the Editor