New York City Council raises age to buy cigarettes to 21

[© tweed]

Ultimately, I think these types of laws are meant for a press release.  There will be very spotty enforcement of this law.  Just for comparison, I see my local stores routinely sell loosie cigarettes which is also illegal in New York City.  Nobody is going to make sure the local bodega checks a 18 year old persons' ID.  To the extent they do, it's just going to be singling out some poor bodega owner.

there are programs that exist that send minors into storefront to attempt to purchase tobacco without ID (or with an ID that shows the patron is underage).  at least one gas station that sold cigarettes to me as a 17 year old got busted and had to pay enough of a fine that made him stop.  I'm not sure to what extent this happens in NYC.

[© tweed]

So an 18 year old can cast a vote for New York's representation in the electoral college, die in a war, drive a car, purchase pornography, and be baptized, but not buy cigarettes?  What kind of topsy turvy world is Michael Bloomberg living in?

to be fair I'm sure Bloomberg in his heart of hearts would support raising the age for voting and porn as well.  and probably support bringing back the property ownership requirements for voting.

[© tweed]

Plus, and most importantly, responsible use of marijuana and alcohol (and even irresponsible use of marijuana and alcohol usually) do not result in a host of horrible health problems, up to and including dying of cancer. Supporting the former two but opposing the latter makes perfect sense.

marijuana and tobacco can't produce on-the-spot death via overdose, alcohol can.  it's very possible to live a fulfilling/productive life (whatever that means) while using tobacco daily, somewhat less so for marijuana, and much less so with alcohol.

[© tweed]

yes, but point being the day-by-day consequences of being a heavy user of alcohol dwarf that of both marijuana and tobacco.  consequences for tobacco use pile up very slowly over decades.  heavy consumption of marjuana makes you a braindead drone.  heavy consumption of alcohol makes you a sociopath.

in low doses anything is of zero consequence for society at-large and thus not worth discussing in this context.

[© tweed]

the statistic that you're hinting at goes something like 'percentage of people who use the substance at least once who go on to become addicted'.  according to this article from 2002 http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/30/health/personal-health-addiction-a-brain-ailment-not-a-moral-lapse.html


According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science, 32 percent of people who try tobacco become dependent, as do 23 percent of those who try heroin, 17 percent who try cocaine, 15 percent who try alcohol and 9 percent who try marijuana.


I do remember seeing numbers closer to 25% for alcohol and 20% for weed from other sources.  so it is true that a higher percentage of tobacco users become tobacco dependent, but not by a staggering amount.

of course this rate for caffeine would probably be over 50% in the USA.

[© tweed]

the tobacco black market has more to do with trafficking cigarettes from lower-tax jurisdictions into higher-tax jurisdictions.  tobacco is extremely difficult to actually cultivate illicitly, it is a very capital-intensive process, as opposed to marijuana which anyone can grow in their closet or backyard.  (Chomsky argues that this is the reason that tobacco is legal and marijuana illegal -- it would be hard to accumulate capital in the cultivation of marijuana because it's so easy to do, while we have to lean on monopolies to make our cigarettes because of the huge overhead).

[© tweed]

Plus, and most importantly, responsible use of marijuana and alcohol (and even irresponsible use of marijuana and alcohol usually) do not result in a host of horrible health problems, up to and including dying of cancer. Supporting the former two but opposing the latter makes perfect sense.

marijuana and tobacco can't produce on-the-spot death via overdose, alcohol can.  it's very possible to live a fulfilling/productive life (whatever that means) while using tobacco daily, somewhat less so for marijuana, and much less so with alcohol.

Actually there was a recent case in Mississippi of a woman who dropped her cigarette, caught her clothes on fire and burned to death.  I believe she was old and morbidly obese, but it happened.

the theory is that the 1911 Triangle fire started in this way as well.