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Age limit now 21 across US for cigarettes, tobacco products
- seibelj 7y agoWhy stop there? Why not 35, or 50? Or an outright ban? We say that 18 year olds can die in a war, and be sentenced to death for a crime. But they can’t vape or buy a beer? 21 is the new 18, enjoy making more children out of adults.
- alexfromapex 7y agoWhy stop with cigarettes? They can just tell us how to live in every facet of our daily lives.
- abootstrapper 7y agoI mean, there’s plenty of reasons to stop at cigarettes. The slope really isn’t as slippery as you’re making it out to be.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- hprotagonist 7y agoI bet you have Real Strong Opinions about seatbelts, too.
- alexfromapex 7y agoYeah let’s raise the driving age to 21
- hprotagonist 7y agooh christ, can we?
- alexfromapex 7y agoNo because it’s anti-productive and anti-freedom which is exactly my point
- hprotagonist 7y ago>Or an outright ban? Consider for a moment how indescribably weird it is for the FDA to have jurisdiction here and not ban tobacco. The FDA evaluates on the basis of safety and efficacy: how the hell they’re squaring this circle is kind of beyond me.
- Someone1234 7y agoI feel like people that make this argument are really playing with fire. It is meant to be hyperbole to show us that this middle-ground position is irrational, but all it is really doing is reminding us that this middle-ground is a middle-ground and that the ideal is a near complete ban of the addictive cancer sticks. A lot of people have argued for a "age limit" that essentially increases as one generation ages until it is effectively unlawful for future generations (e.g. age 21 in 2020, 22 in 2021, 31 in 2030, 41 in 2040, etc). So why 21? Why indeed. Tobacco is no less addictive or deadly at 21, I guess the hope is people will be smarter by then and realize the life-long potential impact of STARTING (which the science does support[0]). [0] http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Reports/2015/TobaccoMinimumAgeReport.aspx http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Reports/2015/TobaccoMin...
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- haskaalo 7y agoNot from United States. However, wouldn't it increase the sales of the black market?
- umvi 7y agoPerhaps, but as long as there is a net drop in usage it's still a win. Who wants to bother buying black market cigarettes in 2020? It's like the worst drug ever - mild-to-no buzz, highly addictive/expensive, gives you cancer
- throwaway100773 7y agoTobacco isn’t the drug. Nicotine is. There are other ways to consume the drug, and it has a lot of positive effects. Regardless - it’s a win for you I guess - but does anyone else’s opinion matter?
- thatswrong0 7y ago> Perhaps, but as long as there is a net drop in usage it's still a win. That's not how that works. At all. If you get 1 less person to vape, but you get 3 people who were vaping seriously sick / they die from black market goods, that's probably not a net win.
- Gatsky 7y agoThe harmful health effects of tobacco products, which are a cost born by society while tobacco companies enrich themselves, mean that we can tolerate significant downsides of changes in tobacco accessibility, and it’s still very much worth it.
- Someone1234 7y agoI'd imagine people wanting to bypass this would still consume retail tobacco products via a 21+ proxy agent. I just think the cost of paying off a proxy would be cheaper than the cost of buying via some black market vendor (and low risk, since you're likely getting the real product via someone you likely know and trust). Or just via common fake IDs that certain vendors will happily take, since it provides the vendor just enough legal protection for reasonable doubt. Keep in mind that the new market for black market products is quite small (only people between 18-20), and the cost/risk of setting it up quite high. It could happen, but I think there are better alternatives to bypass this block-aid. It isn't really comparable to prohibition or the war on drugs, as those were/are global bans Vs. the entire population.
- spunker540 7y agoI have some close friends who started smoking at 18, and by 21 were pretty hooked, would rather not smoke, but found quitting too difficult. I have a feeling this will do a good job of reducing addiction rates. At the same time I do feel like adults should be adults full-stop and think it’s ridiculous you can be drafted, vote and serve in military and not drink or smoke (or rent a car!). Maybe the age of adulthood should be moved to 21 altogether.
- kylek 7y agoI wish we'd change what's actually considered an adult. It's pretty arbitrary. Pretty sure I was dumber than a box of rocks when I was 18 (or even 21). At the same time I'm sure many under 18 could be considered adults. Unfortunate that rites of passage aren't a thing.
- Gatsky 7y agoMerry Christmas to Big Tobacco and their shareholders.
- bruntonjeeves 7y agoHopefully they increase the age you can vote, enlist in the military, consent to sex, and can be tried as an adult.
- toomanybeersies 7y agoThere's a few comments about the military age being 18 in the USA. I'm not American, and live in a country where the drinking age is 18 (and believe it should stay that way), but it seems to me like maybe the enlistment age should be raised. 18 isn't old enough to be signing up to fight and die overseas. Do we really want people going straight from the football field to the battlefield?
- Someone1234 7y agoSome countries let people join at 18 but they cannot fight until 20 or older. Essentially the first years are spent in military school and or in a kind of reserve role. It is an interesting compromise that still let's people join up instead of college around 18/19 but with fewer moral hazards.
- EETruth 7y agoWait, weren't the GOP - the current ruling party in the USA a small government one. How this got passed?
- highprofittrade 7y agoI think this law will have 0 benefits
- atrilumen 7y agoIsn't it true that the prefrontal cortex doesn't fully develop until around age 25? If so, when will our laws reflect the fact that before that age, a person is not fully capable of considering the consequences of their choices? Lending institutions, pornographers, and the military are still being allowed to exploit this incapacity of "young adults" in ways that may affect their entire lives. How many of us are in debt, or injured, or killed because of this predation? An 18 year old kid can choose to participate in pornography. Should we not consider this child abuse?
- adrr 7y agoIt is bizarre we have our vice age at 21 but the age of adulthood is 18. You are responsible enough to vote, serve in the military and be charged as an adult in a court law but not responsible enough to drink or smoke.
- Wowfunhappy 7y agoThe age gating is a bit stupid, but in the case of cigarettes, I'd be perfectly happy if no one of any age was able to use them, with exceptions for people who are already addicted.
- alexfromapex 7y agoIt’s very stupid. When you are an adult you deserve to be able to make your own decisions. This is a great example of Congress going against the wishes of a huge portion of the voting population and “telling them what’s good for them”. It’s tacit erosion of freedom under the guise of something helpful and makes me ashamed of our Congress.
- rolltiide 7y agoHonestly the thing I hate about the rest of the world is the second hand smoke It hurts my eyes, I know its bad for my lungs, and its aggravating to see the attractive people doing it to blend it, to me its like they are stuck in the 2000s
- hellisothers 7y agoNobody is an island, your freedom to make poor life choices is my liability to support as your health deteriorates and my tax dollars have to pay for the externalities of tobacco consumption. It’s not being outlawed, it’s being delayed until you can make better life choices with the wisdom of age and experience.
- xref 7y ago“_I_ have to pay for _you_” is a particularly empty argument when there are no restrictions on calorie consumption, motorcycle usage, sedentary lifestyle, dangerous hobbies, etc. Also it is a similarly entitled argument to telling police “I pay your salary!”