Congress poised to raise age to buy tobacco, vaping products from 18 to 21

[Jason]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/12/17/raising-legal-tobacco-age/2673929001/

 

Nothing I've seen has addressed why Congress can impose a 21 smoking age directly, unlike with alcohol where they had to do it in a roundabout way via withholding highway funds...?

[TwinIon]

34 minutes ago, Jason said:

Nothing I've seen has addressed why Congress can impose a 21 smoking age directly, unlike with alcohol where they had to do it in a roundabout way via withholding highway funds...?

According to Wikipedia, "the The National Minimum Drinking Age Act is also seen as a congressional sidestep of the tenth amendment." I agree that there doesn't seem to be any real difference between the two. Maybe Congress just thinks that no one will bother challenging the constitutionality of this, or maybe they're hoping for it?

 

Looking through that wiki brought me to Gonzales v. Raich. Reading that decision makes me think that this federal smoking age would probably hold up in court. So maybe that's why they feel like they can do it now?

[ort]

I approve of this plan.

[Guest]

England has it right: drastically lower the allowable amount of nicotine in tobacco vapes and the usage rates will plummet.

[Firewithin]

problem solved!

[mclumber1]

My body my choice

[Massdriver]

1 hour ago, sblfilms said:

England has it right: drastically lower the allowable amount of nicotine in tobacco vapes and the usage rates will plummet.

Agreed. Vapes need direct fda oversight and regulations like this while pushing them as a smoking cessation tool like the UK has done. They are still safer than smoking.