Nationwide Fight Begins Over Raising Tobacco Age to 21
Source: US News & World Report
New York City councilmen voted Wednesday to raise the legal age for purchasing tobacco from 18 to 21, a measure that will go into effect six months after it's signed into law by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a zealous anti-smoking advocate.
The Big Apple measure – which soared 35-10 through the city council – is part of a nationwide effort that seeks to make illegal the sale of tobacco to young adults.
In New Jersey, legislators are likely to debate a bill soon that would raise that state's age limit to 21. New Jersey is currently tied for the highest statewide tobacco age limit, at 19.
Richard Codey, governor of New Jersey from 2004 to 2006, helped bump the state's age limit from 18 to 19 less than 10 years ago. He's now a state senator and the sponsor of new age limit legislation, which he is confident will prevail – and possibly help start a chain-reaction.
Read more: http://mobile.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/10/31/nationwide-fight-begins-over-raising-tobacco-age-to-21
Great just what we need... more feckless prohibition turning Americans into criminals. Might as well raise the age of adulthood to 21 while they're at it.
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Auggie
(33,114 posts)If it helps some teens from becoming addicted, I'm all for it
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)
warrant46
(2,205 posts)A/K/A Big Gulp Bloomberg
Auggie
(33,114 posts)a teen cigarette ban might have had an effect with me. I started in college -- age 18.
CFLDem
(2,083 posts)as a recent grad, Tobacco use is still fairly popular (smoking, chewing, hookah). This will just make tobacco even cooler now that it's verboten.
My biggest irk is that it further infantilizes young adulthood. If you're mature enough to go to war and vote for president, you should be mature enough for all the other responsibilities, too.
Auggie
(33,114 posts)Ohio University Post / 10-31-13
HEADLINE: Smoking increases among Ohio’s high school students
From health classes to anti-smoking campaigns, high school students are discouraged from smoking.
But according to a 2013 study from the American Lung Association, about 21 percent of Ohio high school students smoke cigarettes. That’s the highest rate of high school smokers in the state since 2004.
That’s about three percent higher than the national average of 18 percent. That’s particularly high considering the legal age to purchase cigarettes is 18.
But perhaps even more shocking is that the adult smoking rate in Ohio, according to the same study, sits not much higher at 25 percent. Nationally, 19 percent of adults smoke.
http://thepost.ohiou.edu/content/smoking-increases-among-ohio’s-high-school-students
JesterCS
(1,828 posts)It calms my nerves. I'm living with 4 other adults and 6 kids in a 3 bedroom house.
jmowreader
(53,135 posts)I have 40 under-24 people working in my company's mailroom where they assemble the newspapers. ALL of them smoke.
The community college in town attempted to become a Tobacco Free Campus in the 2012-13 school year; they got rid of it for 2013-14 because it was unenforceable. Less than 20 percent of the people who attend North Idaho College are nonsmokers and the Tobacco Free Campus initiative actually encouraged people to START smoking in defiance. (The fact that NIC is a teabagger breeding ground might have something to do with that.)
SoapBox
(18,791 posts)I hate the stench AND I don't want one dime of my monies going to treat all the diseases, smokers get.
former9thward
(33,424 posts)
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)I picture a very winded Mel Gibson, dying of lung cancer from years of smoking, just before they can behead him.
Xithras
(16,191 posts)Whether with good intentions or otherwise, this law is inherently discriminatory. An 18 year old is an adult under our legal system, with all of the rights and privileges that come along with being an adult. Stripping rights because we think that some adults are too immature to handle something sets a dangerous precedent.
And before anyone brings up the drinking age, the 21 year old age limit BARELY survived a Supreme Court challenge on 14th Amendment equal protection grounds because its backers were able to show that young drinkers were dying at a substantially higher rate than the rest of the population. Like it or not, smoking opponents can't make that same argument (18 year olds generally die of smoking at the same rate as anyone else). The criteria set forth by the Supreme Court in that ruling don't apply to tobacco products.
An adult is an adult. Like it or not.
Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)So they don't have *all* the rights and privileges of older adults.
Saying that, I remember when 18-year-olds could buy 3.2 beer in Colorado, and 14-year-olds could smoke at my high school, if they had their parent's permission.
Unknown Beatle
(2,691 posts)3.2 beer in Colorado and 6.0 beer for adults nationwide. But, all domestic national beer now contains on 3.2 percent alcohol. When that changed, I don't know.
Budweiser recently came out with a new 6.0 beer and called it Platinum; Budweiser Platinum 6.0 as if that was new.
Ava Gadro
(36 posts)I'm all for raising the age of tobacco. Heck, I'd like to see it banned, but I have a hard time reconciling that we can send a kid to war, but we won't let him drink or smoke. One of life's conundrums I guess.
Poddy Fries
(43 posts)
warrant46
(2,205 posts)Drafted at age 18 seen it
I never questioned anyone's drinking or smoking age in the Nam
BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)The Feds need to set some sort of standard.
This is a child....
This is an adult....
Moe Shinola
(143 posts)What a bunch of little tinpot fascists we've all become. American are sadists, and we enjoy showing in lots of little ways.
K.O. Stradivarius
(115 posts)Sorry, but if 18 is acceptable enough to be eligible for the draft, vote, enter into binding contracts, be tried as an adult, posses firearms, have an abortion without parental consent,
unrestricted drivers license, etc, then it's only right and proper that those same 18 year olds should be allowed to make their own decisions regarding smoking (same goes for drinking).
As if that's not bad enough, if this intrusion on legal adults decision making gains traction at the state level, it could lead to a situation where 'federal blackmail' is instituted in order to get the hold out states to comply; IOW... pass legislation raising the smoking age to 21, or else we'll withhold Federal money for health related programs.
There's already a precedent for this as evidenced by the current drinking age and speed limits.
OR Ruminator
(32 posts)yep
alp227
(33,262 posts)but this NYC legislation went the WRONG direction in intentions.
Ruby the Liberal
(26,644 posts)As someone who has battled nicotine addiction ever since I was 16 (I'm in my 40s now), I want that industry to curl up and die a death of 1,000 cuts. I did coke and X alot back in the late 80s and one day said "meh" and walked away, but the nicodemon held on to me for decades.
That said, making it illegal will just ensure that more older teens will want to know what they are missing out on.
I'm 110% for legalization of marijuana because of the health BENEFITS, but there are none, zero, no benefits to a cigarette with 4,000 additives, most of which are carcinogenic.
Not sure how I feel about it.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)I do agree with you about how bad it is. Both my parents smoked when I was growing up and I hated it! Mom quit back in the 90s, dad died of a stroke (at least in part because of his smoking habit, but other lifestyle choices also contributed). I've never smoked and never will. I have my own bad habit (argh, don't we all) it comes in a bottle, has a red label and is probably the most recognized brands in the world. Addict? Hell yeah! Once you get hooked on something it is really hard to tear yourself away from it.
Incitatus
(5,317 posts)Cigarettes 'engineered' for addiction
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/393075.stm
I don't see an age ban doing much to solve the problem. I started smoking before I could legally buy them and procuring them wasn't that hard. I just had to ask an older friend, and even some independent store owners would sell to minors. Quitting was the hardest thing I've done and the age limit did nothing to prevent me from smoking.
Wolf Frankula
(3,831 posts)to vote those councilmen out of office. No obligations without rights. If you have all the obligations of adults, you ought to have all the rights and privileges. Anything else is age discrimination.
I don't smoke. I hate the stink of cigarettes and approve of laws forbidding smoking in work areas, restaurants and other public places. When you smoke in a crowd, you are forcing everybody else to smoke and to smoke your brand. But your private life is yours. The state ought not to have the right to dictate to you about it.
Prohibition creates bootleggers.
Wolf
Kurska
(5,739 posts)Not old enough to buy cigarettes
go figure.
yellowwoodII
(616 posts)It's not a matter of "rights." We know that most people who become addicted to smoking do so when they're under 21. We know that smoking is addicting and that it makes people unhealthy and ultimately may kill them. I've really never met a middle aged smoker who is glad that he's a smoker. I've known many who wish they could stop. At best, the habit will cost them a fortune.
Do you see all of the COPD ads on television? There must be a great market for medicines that can alleviate (not cure) emphysema. That should tell us something.
As far as the argument that young people can go into the army where they can be killed; therefore, they should be allowed to acquire a habit that will kill them. Does that really make sense?
ForgoTheConsequence
(5,180 posts)...
penultimate
(1,110 posts)davidthegnome
(2,983 posts)I expect these regulations will pass without a great deal of trouble. Me, I started smoking when I was 14 - I'm now 29, and still smoking. It made no difference to me that it was illegal, as a young teen, it was my way of rebelling against the world, my parents, the expectations. It was also sort of a "screw you" to death, if that makes any sense. At the time, I think my philosophy was "I'm going to die anyway, what difference does it make if it's by smoking?" Now, I realize that that's really poor logic, but what was my thinking at the time.
Today I keep it up because <a> I'm addicted, and <b> I have severe issues with post traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, etc. If I go more than four or five hours without a cigarette (unless it's when I'm sleeping), I end up having a really mind blowing panic attack.
Frankly, I'm too scared, too paranoid, and too emotionally disturbed to quit. That's the real reason I keep smoking.
As to the current topic at hand... as others have said, 18 is old enough to register for selective service, to join the military, to vote in an election, to pay taxes. If you can get shot and killed defending your Country, then, as far as I'm concerned, you can sure as hell smoke a cigarette if you want to. Prohibition, once again... that is likely to have little if any actual benefit. Teens will get their buddies to buy cigarettes for them, their siblings, hell, in some cases, maybe even their parents. Or they'll become more desperate, and end up stealing them instead.
I do not think that legislation is the way to wellness. We can't legislate away poor health, poor diet, bad habits, or drug addictions. Bloomberg is a petty little tyrant. He's annoying, but not terrible useful, important, or even intelligent. These attempts to legislate good health are stupid. They will do more harm than good.
gopiscrap
(24,708 posts)penultimate
(1,110 posts)If you're going to do this, then try to ban it for everyone and not just a sub-section of adults.
*I personally don't think cigarettes should be banned.
truthisfreedom
(23,531 posts)Period. Those are the only two accomplishments of cigarettes, if you leave out dying a horrible death from cancer, emphysema... ok, wait, there's a million reasons why NOBODY should smoke.
Seriously. This isn't about criminalization. It's about reducing smoking. Nobody's going to go to jail for buying cigarettes while under 21. That's ridiculous.
I went to Europe recently and attempted to enjoy Prague. Impossible. The stench of cigarette smoke is everywhere. Inside, outside, it's just horrible. I'm an ex-smoker so I'm sensitized, but seriously, I'd like to look around the most interesting places we've created on planet earth before I die without choking on cigarette and cigar smoke.
Wolf Frankula
(3,831 posts)Ban the possession of tobacco by Black People. See the outrage then.
Ban driving by people between the age of thirty and forty. See the outrage then.
Either you're a full adult citizen in possession of all your rights and obligations, or you're not. Let's not have 3/5ths citizens.
Wolf
Response to CFLDem (Original post)
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FrodosPet
(5,169 posts)If you make it that far, you deserve a cigarette and a shot of good smooth whiskey.
Alan Selk
(17 posts)The same puritans that banned alcohol in the early part of the last century are the same type of people who are trying to ban tobacco today. It's the same mindset of "we know what's best for you". New York has among the highest cigarette tax rates in the country, and NYC is even worse. This is just back door prohibition and raising the legal age to 21 is part of it.
Lets just ignore the fact that about 60% of all cigarettes consumed in NY are black market and everything is just fine. We can now create another law enforcement bureaucracy to deal with that little annoying detail.
Trying to ban something that people enjoy doing is always going to turn out badly. The little reported fact that there is a massive black market in cigarettes is testament to that. As usual the criminals are getting rich, governments are clueless, and in the end consumers get what they want.
Novel style
(15 posts)sir pball
(5,336 posts)Old enough to vote and enlist should be old enough to drink and smoke. If it means raising the AoM then so be it.
hughee99
(16,113 posts)to pick our leaders, to enlist in the military, or to fully understand crimes sufficiently (to be tried as an adult) but aren't competent enough to make decisions on tobacco. Well at least the "stop and frisk" gang will have something new to look for.
Alan Selk
(17 posts)
DeSwiss
(27,137 posts)
Dawson Leery
(19,564 posts)libdem4life
(13,877 posts)we have these nifty new private prisons we can put you up in. It's kind of like the abortion nonsense...if you're against it, don't have one.