
Age limit now 21 across US for cigarettes, tobacco products - swat535
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/age-limit-now-21-us-cigarettes-tobacco-products-67948867
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adrr
It 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.

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Wowfunhappy
The 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.

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alexfromapex
It’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.

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hellisothers
Nobody 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.

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xref
“_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!”

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etrautmann
...yes. We do pay the police and they should be in service of the public.

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xref
not sure what you’re arguing for with respect to yelling “I pay your salary!”
at govt employees

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toomanybeersies
There'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?

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Someone1234
Some 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.

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spunker540
I 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.

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kylek
I 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.

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atrilumen
Isn'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?

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bruntonjeeves
Hopefully they increase the age you can vote, enlist in the military, consent
to sex, and can be tried as an adult.

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haskaalo
Not from United States. However, wouldn't it increase the sales of the black
market?

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umvi
Perhaps, 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

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throwaway100773
Tobacco 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?

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seibelj
Why 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.

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alexfromapex
Why stop with cigarettes? They can just tell us how to live in every facet of
our daily lives.

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hprotagonist
I bet you have Real Strong Opinions about seatbelts, too.

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alexfromapex
Yeah let’s raise the driving age to 21

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hprotagonist
oh christ, can we?

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alexfromapex
No because it’s anti-productive and anti-freedom which is exactly my point

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highprofittrade
I think this law will have 0 benefits

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Gatsky
Merry Christmas to Big Tobacco and their shareholders.

