Big Tobacco ... Gouge

National Post columnist John Ivison is, of course, very amusing in his analyses of the government's ineffectual attempts at curbing the contraband tobacco trade--but I'm having a lot of trouble getting past the numbers here:

Stockwell Day launched a new contraband tobacco control strategy yesterday that could only work in Canada: He appealed to Canadians to please, please drive past smoke shacks selling 200 cigarettes in clear, plastic resealable bags for as little as $6 and instead fork over $75-$90 for legal cartons.

Wait a second ... You're telling me that somebody can sell a carton's worth of cigarettes for six bones and still make a profit? You're telling me that, like, 90% of the price of a pack of non-contraband cigarettes is tax?

Sorry, but are we absolutely certain who the criminals are here?