While a growing number of states have turned their attention to marijuana legalization, another proposal has been quietly catching fire among some legislators—raising the legal age to buy cigarettes.
This summer, Hawaii became the first state to approve increasing the smoking age from 18 to 21 starting Jan 1. A similar measure passed the California Senate, but stalled in the Assembly. And nearly a dozen other states have considered bills this year to boost the legal age for buying tobacco products.
“It really is about good public health,” said Democratic Hawaii state Sen. Rosalyn Baker, who sponsored the legislation. “If you can keep individuals from beginning to smoke until they’re at least 21, then you have a much greater chance of them never becoming lifelong smokers.”
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17 comments:
Just as the DUI-law proponets (specifically MADD) can only continue to make more money if there is continuous legislation, it's the same with the anti-smoking group.
(For example: If a legislator votes against dropping the breath alcohol level, then they are "for drunk driving".)
This is more about money than it is for health.
Just another government rule that takes away still another freedom.
If this group that is forcing the new laws was really serious, they would propose a total ban on cigarette sales.
But that ain't gonna happen - mainly because the money would dry up. Can't go killing the golden goose.
Yet one more thing to.ensnare kids in the judicial system early. Kid gets caught in high school smoking a cigarette, suddenly he's "got a record".
The liberal agenda continues its inept policy.
ban smoking all together
I'd like to see some legislation to make the voting age 21.....watch 'em scramble!
I'd like to see them initiate term limits. Then watch these bums scramble.
Why not make it illegal to sell addictive tobacco products so that only those that can afford the resultant healthcare costs will pay for their own and taxpayers won't need to pay for those that cannot.
21 for everything! Start children out in school at 5 and continue education till 21, then draft into the service, and allow them to vote.
18 is too young to vote, they are still stupid and think the Democratic party is for them.
18 is too young to sign up for war, 21 is better.
Go ahead and smoke, but don't make me pay for your insurance. If you get tagged by the doctor for smoking, then you lose your Obamacare, or your rates go up. Kind of like the questions about owning a gun. The info gets documented.....
You can go to the military and be trained to kill people, and sometimes actually have to do it, but you cant smoke a cigarette or drink a beer while you kill. That is brilliant.
Charging kids at 12 as adults but want this? No way. Can't have cake and eat it to. Either they're kids or not. If they can legally be on their own living then they are able to make their own decisions.
voting was at age 21 not quite 50 years ago. Wouldn't hurt if it was again. Drinking is 21 again. Smoking should be 21. Kids should be able to go in the military with parent permission at 16 because their brains are not fully developed and they do things no older person would consider sane.
There shouldn't be any drinking, smoking, or other drug use allowed but we tried that once with drinking. Most people are too stupid to know what is good for them until they have already hurt themselves.
We used to be free
Go back to "Old enough to do the crime, old enough to do the time", this would put a lot of drug dealers out of business with using juveniles as "runners".
No drinking or smoking? Tried it once but people to stupid?
First... We are free to do what we want with our bodies.
And it wasn't the people that are stupid. It was the greedy government who figured how make money of it.
And let's go back to killing tyrant cops and politicians as well!
Now that the communist Democrat's have forced health care in place they and control our habits and lifestyle in the name of public health...They will chip away at our freedoms one at a time until they're all gone.
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