What looks like a simple price tag at the tobacconist is in fact a tightly controlled system where no one is really free. Manufacturers propose a price, but the State has the final word. Tobacconists are forbidden from offering discounts or promotions; they sell at a fixed price, earning barely 8–10% per pack, while manufacturers keep around 15%. The rest—an overwhelming majority—flows directly into public coffers through excise duties and VAT, adjusted year after year in the name of public health.

In practice, this policy has turned every price increase into both a deterrent and a test of endurance. From about three euros in the early 2000s to nearly thirteen today, each rise pushes some smokers to quit, others to cut back, and many toward cross-border or illicit purchases. Behind the official strategy to save lives lies a harsher reality: for millions, each cigarette has become a daily reminder of dependence, not just on nicotine, but on a system that profits from their struggle.