Merry Christmas to Big Tobacco and their shareholders.
Age limit now 21 across US for cigarettes, tobacco products
11–20 of 62 posts
Re: Age limit now 21 across US for cigarettes, tobacco products
#12Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
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.
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.
Re: Age limit now 21 across US for cigarettes, tobacco products
#13Hopefully they increase the age you can vote, enlist in the military, consent to sex, and can be tried as an adult.
Re: Age limit now 21 across US for cigarettes, tobacco products
#14Why 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.
>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.
Re: Age limit now 21 across US for cigarettes, tobacco products
#15Not from United States. However, wouldn't it increase the sales of the black market?
The 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.
Re: Age limit now 21 across US for cigarettes, tobacco products
#16Why 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.
Why stop with cigarettes? They can just tell us how to live in every facet of our daily lives.
I 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.
Re: Age limit now 21 across US for cigarettes, tobacco products
#17Not from United States. However, wouldn't it increase the sales of the black market?
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
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?
Re: Age limit now 21 across US for cigarettes, tobacco products
#18There'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?
Re: Age limit now 21 across US for cigarettes, tobacco products
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
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.
“_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!”
Re: Age limit now 21 across US for cigarettes, tobacco products
#20Why 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.
Why stop with cigarettes? They can just tell us how to live in every facet of our daily lives.
I bet you have Real Strong Opinions about seatbelts, too.