A bill in the Florida Senate makes it a crime for non-Indians to possess tobacco products sold by the Seminole Tribe.

The prohibition would be lifted if the tribe agrees to share some of its tobacco revenues with the state. The bill's sponsor believes the tribe would rather negotiate a deal than see its customers go away.

The provision was added to a bill that would raise the state's cigarette tax by $1 a pack so the tribe would only have to agree to add $1 to its tobacco prices, The Tampa Bay Tribune reported. The tribe would not be required to add the existing 34 cents per pack tax so it could still sell cigarettes at a lower price than non-Indian vendors.

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Tobacco tax targets Seminoles (The Tampa Bay Tribune 4/8)