One idea is to use union pension funds to finance construction of houses and apartments around the state. Organizers also have to work out who would qualify for the housing. In New York, I'm Michelle Brier for Marketplace. But now state officials are thinking this effect may have less to do with kicking the habit, and more to do with shopping by Internet. Marketplace's John Dimsdale has more.
Price is a big attraction.
Shoppers can avoid state and federal sales and excise taxes, which can add eight dollars to a carton of cigarettes. California has invoked a 50-year old federal law that requires shippers of tobacco products to reveal names and addresses of cigarette shoppers. Dennis Maciel, the chief of California's excise tax division, says the state went after Californians on those lists. Ultimately these concerns will be tough to resolve since regulators are bound by governmental jurisdictions and the Internet knows no boundaries. In Washington, I'm John Dimsdale for Marketplace.