WATCH: $27 for a Carton of Smokes? In Cook County?

If someone said you could get a carton of cigarettes for $27 in Cook County they’d probably think it was illegal.

But for one Skokie business owner, that’s not the case. Marcia Smith, owner of Smokes and Such, is doing just that, and she isn’t breaking any laws.

With the help of her $35,000 cigarette-rolling machine, Smith is able to sell a carton of smokes significantly cheaper than the average $78 price tag.

How is she able to do this?

According to an article by the Chicago News Cooperative, pipe tobacco is taxed at about $2.80 a pound, while cigarette tobacco gets taxed at almost $25 a pound.

Because the machine uses pipe tobacco, Smith is able to offer a significantly lower price.

The machine rolls 200 cigarettes–which is equivalent to a carton–in about 10 minutes. Smith said there are only seven or eight of these cigarette-rolling machines in the state. 

While she notes there’s no such thing as a healthy cigarette, she said there are benefits to using pipe tobacco instead of purchasing an over-the-counter pack.

“Healthwise, our customers cough less, they actually smoke less, they don’t have a heaviness in their chest,” Smith said. “We get all sorts of testimonials on how much better they actually feel.”