Florida may raise tobacco-buying age to 21

[TexasTowelie]

TALLAHASSEE — Young adults would no longer be allowed to buy tobacco products under a bill filed Tuesday by Central Florida lawmakers.

Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, is sponsoring SB 1288, which would increase the minimum legal age from 18 to 21 to buy cigarettes, tobacco chew and electronic vaping devices and products.

“Raising the age limit for smoking to 21 years is essential if we are serious about saving lives and reducing the cost of health care,” he said in a released statement. “In addition to the tragedy to smokers and their families caused by lung cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, and emphysema, cigarette smoking burdens America’s health care system by nearly $170 billion annually in direct medical care for adults, according to the Center for Disease Control.”

The penalty would be 20 hours of community service for a first offense, and 40 hours for a second offense within a year.

Read more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/os-smoking-age-ban-bill-20171219-story.html

[Laffy Kat]

1. As much as I DETEST smoking...

I am still of the opinion that if you can join the military you can smoke a damn cigarette and drink a beer. Raise the age of military recruitment to 21 and I'm on board with raising everything else to 21. Except voting, and I still think that should be lowered to 16. Not that my opinion means a thing.

[David__77]

2. I disagree with this.

Adults are adults at 18. Porn, alcohol and cigarettes should be as available at 18 as at 38.