Age limit now 21 across US for cigarettes, tobacco products

[Remarkableriots]

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/age-limit-now-21-across-us-for-cigarettes-tobacco-products

Quote

Anyone under 21 can no longer legally buy cigarettes, cigars or any other tobacco products in the U.S.

The new law enacted last week by Congress also applies to electronic cigarettes and vaping products that heat a liquid containing nicotine.

The provision raising the legal limit from 18 to 21 nationwide was in a massive spending bill passed by Congress and signed by the president on Dec. 20. About one-third of states already had their own laws restricting tobacco sales to people 21 and older.

“This is a major step in protecting the next generation of children from becoming addicted to tobacco products,” new FDA commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn tweeted last week.

Usually, new legislation doesn’t take effect right away. The change simply increased the age limit in existing law, so it was able to go into effect immediately, a spokesman for the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

The agency has regulated tobacco products since 2009. It enforces the law partly through spot checks. Stores can be fined or barred from selling tobacco for repeat violations.

Anti-smoking advocates said the higher age limit should make it more difficult for young people to get tobacco, particularly high school students who had friends or classmates over 18 buy for them.

 

[SuperSpreader]

This would be ruined my college experience

[Keyser_Soze]

55 minutes ago, 2user1cup said:

This would be ruined my college experience

 

You went to college with sentences like this one?

[skillzdadirecta]

4 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

You went to college with sentences like this one?

 

[SuperSpreader]

1 hour ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

You went to college with sentences like this one?

Yes and I'm doing great!!

[Firewithin]

Will be pretty cool when adults are hanging outside the liquor stores asking to buy cigarettes for them lpl

[thewhyteboar]

Smoking is disgusting but it's really dumb that we have these separate age requirements for adults.

[marioandsonic]

I always did think it was weird that things like drinking and gambling were restricted to 21, but smoking was 18.

[CastlevaniaNut18]

I hate smoking and wish it would be eradicated, but it seems weird to me that we’re okay with sending 18 year olds off to war, but they can’t legally smoke, drink, or gamble. 

[johnny]

22 minutes ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

I hate smoking and wish it would be eradicated, but it seems weird to me that we’re okay with sending 18 year olds off to war, but they can’t legally smoke, drink, or gamble. 

I think upping the age to 21 is good for health reasons but this does bug me. 

[Remarkableriots]

1 hour ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

I hate smoking and wish it would be eradicated, but it seems weird to me that we’re okay with sending 18 year olds off to war, but they can’t legally smoke, drink, or gamble. 

The law that Nevada had passed but wouldn't have taken effect until 2021 allowed 18 yo with military IDs to continue to purchase tobacco. Everybody else would have needed to be 21.

[Keyser_Soze]

2 hours ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

I hate smoking and wish it would be eradicated, but it seems weird to me that we’re okay with sending 18 year olds off to war, but they can’t legally smoke, drink, or gamble. 

 

So maybe they should up the enlistment age to 21 too?

[Chairslinger]

As others have said, I can't stand smoking and wish no one would, but any way you slice it the age 21 restriction is stupid.

 

The military service is a popular example, but there are countless things we allow 18 year olds to do that are just as consequential as contracting an addiction to tobacco. It is, after all, generally where our culture has decided one becomes an adult. 

 

Hell, 15 and 16 year olds can drive, and few things kill more people each year than automobile accidents.

 

Just tax the fuck out of cigerette purchases, that would be my preferred deterrent.

[Guest]

“We shouldn’t institute good policy because we have some other bad policy” is an interesting argument to make  

[SilentWorld]

Practically, the law isn’t going to prevent many 18-20 year olds from smoking. They’ll get cigarettes m from their college buddies, coworkers, etc. What it will do is make it harder for 13-17 year old to get cigarettes because the 18 year old seniors won’t be able to buy them. I tend to think that’s a good thing. 

[mclumber1]

If we are going to treat 18-20 year olds as children with certain things, they should be charged as children, and not as adults, when the break the law concerning these things.   

[Dodger]

Less people smoking is a good thing so I’m not really concerned about the mental gymnastics of how we get there. Especially since if you can stop a young person from smoking you likely prevent them for smoking for life since I don’t know anyone who randomly started smoking at 40. 

[Keyser_Soze]

You can fuck when you're 18 but you can't smoke after? WTF!

 

[Reputator]

I am all for this.

[Massdriver]

A quick search for meta studies relating to 21 year old alcohol laws on pubmed supports raising the age. It limits availability to youth and decreases alcohol related mortality. I don’t support giving 18-20 year olds criminal records for possession, just restricting sales and civil fines. 

[mclumber1]

1 hour ago, Massdriver said:

A quick search for meta studies relating to 21 year old alcohol laws on pubmed supports raising the age. It limits availability to youth and decreases alcohol related mortality. I don’t support giving 18-20 year olds criminal records for possession, just restricting sales and civil fines. 

 

My ideal law would look like this:  18 and up can consume alcohol, but the legal driving limit for those under 21 is 0.04, and over 21 it is 0.08.

[Guest]

23 minutes ago, mclumber1 said:

 

My ideal law would look like this:  18 and up can consume alcohol, but the legal driving limit for those under 21 is 0.04, and over 21 it is 0.08.

This seems to be based on literally nothing.

[mclumber1]

54 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

This seems to be based on literally nothing.

 

 

Sure it does.  Drunk driving constitutes a majority of alcohol related deaths.  Younger people also have less experience behind the wheel.  Throw in alcohol and the situation becomes worse.  I believe an 18 year old is adult - they should be able to enjoy adult things.  By halving the legal limit for 18-20 year olds, it allows them to drink, but it essentially forces them to not drive because of the absurdly low BAC for their age group.

[Chris-]

1 hour ago, sblfilms said:

This seems to be based on literally nothing.

In other words, a mclumber post. 

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

OVI limit should be 0.02 across the board, no matter the age. We're far too lenient on impaired driving (but paradoxically too reliant on cars to be more strict without significant pushback)

 

Age 19 for cigs/vapes, weed, and booze, but 21 for spirits.

[Massdriver]

I think we give too much credit to  18 year olds. They are not adults no matter what they say. 21 isn’t an adult either, but it seems to strike the right balance between public health, liberty, and neuroscience. 

[Nokt]

5 hours ago, b_m_b_m_b_m said:

OVI limit should be 0.02 across the board, no matter the age. We're far too lenient on impaired driving (but paradoxically too reliant on cars to be more strict without significant pushback)

 

Age 19 for cigs/vapes, weed, and booze, but 21 for spirits.

Utahs .05 limit has worked pretty well I think. At least within my friend circle its pretty much put a stop to the DD having one or two drinks.

[johnny]

Just raise the combat/foreign deployment age for military to 21 and then it is all the same age! 
 

and make condoms accessible for all ages! 

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

Only wealthy white dudes are adults everyone else is an ignorant child

[Joe]

15 hours ago, Chris- said:

In other words, a mclumber post. 

 

Man, I almost made this post, but holiday season and all lol

[Massdriver]

1 hour ago, Lopez said:

Not true. Based on 2006-2010 data, about 13,000 alcohol-related deaths, out of 88,000 each year, are due to drunk driving.

Yep

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

16 hours ago, Lopez said:

Not true. Based on 2006-2010 data, about 13,000 alcohol-related deaths, out of 88,000 each year, are due to drunk driving.

It almost would make up about half of all auto crash deaths with that number