McConnell proposes raising the tobacco age to 21

[Senator Incitatus]

It’s insane how authoritarian you all are. The idea that most of you think legal adults shouldn’t be able to smoke a legal drug is beyond me.

I think 18-21 year olds should not be considered legal adults.

[darklordoftech]

I wonder how AOC feels about this.

[Pericles]

Typically for McConnell, there is an ulterior motive for this.
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/28/mitch-mcconnell-smoking-age-tobacco-companies-1376631

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s push to raise the legal smoking age to 21 sounds like a victory for public health. But anti-tobacco advocates fear McConnell and the tobacco industry may use the bill to block other, more proven measures to reduce youth smoking.

McConnell pledged last week to introduce legislation to raise the legal age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21, calling it a "top priority" when the Senate returns from recess in late April. The move quickly drew surprising enthusiasm from cigarette and vaping manufacturers, who pledged to throw their considerable weight behind his initiative.

But in some states, legislation to raise the age to buy tobacco-related products has supplanted flavor bans, which would cut into the profits of industry giants like Altria and Juul. The industry-backed bills also have halted broader pushes to bar menthol cigarettes or boost state taxes enough to dissuade potential smokers. Some would even exempt tobacco products that aren't yet on the market.

"They are turning these tobacco 21 bills into Trojan horses," said John Schachter, director of state communications for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "The industry is positioning tobacco 21 as the only thing that needs to be done on tobacco prevention," but "tobacco 21 needs to be a complement" to other measures, he said.

[darklordoftech]

Typically for McConnell, there is an ulterior motive for this.
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/28/mitch-mcconnell-smoking-age-tobacco-companies-1376631

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s push to raise the legal smoking age to 21 sounds like a victory for public health. But anti-tobacco advocates fear McConnell and the tobacco industry may use the bill to block other, more proven measures to reduce youth smoking.

McConnell pledged last week to introduce legislation to raise the legal age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21, calling it a "top priority" when the Senate returns from recess in late April. The move quickly drew surprising enthusiasm from cigarette and vaping manufacturers, who pledged to throw their considerable weight behind his initiative.

But in some states, legislation to raise the age to buy tobacco-related products has supplanted flavor bans, which would cut into the profits of industry giants like Altria and Juul. The industry-backed bills also have halted broader pushes to bar menthol cigarettes or boost state taxes enough to dissuade potential smokers. Some would even exempt tobacco products that aren't yet on the market.

"They are turning these tobacco 21 bills into Trojan horses," said John Schachter, director of state communications for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "The industry is positioning tobacco 21 as the only thing that needs to be done on tobacco prevention," but "tobacco 21 needs to be a complement" to other measures, he said.

In the 90s, Big Tobacco supported a federal tobacco age of 18 in order to stop the lawsuits against them, advertising restrictions, and FDA regulation.

[emailking]

I think it's less authoritarianism and moor just a want for consistency. If you can't buy pot or alcohol until you're 21, it only makes sense to apply it to tabacco as well.

Another way to have consistency would be be to lower the pot and alcohol ages to 18.

Brains are still developing until people reach their early 20's. Alcohol stunts brain development. There are multiple sources for this.

Doesn't mean it should be illegal.

[Sirius_]

Might this result in more underage drinking because people under 21 would no longer have an alternative?

Better drinking than smoking. As long as they don't get behind the wheel, then drunks don't bother me in any way and...just today, someone lit up a cigarette right in the middle of a large group of people that I was in (as well as a number of kids) and it was ridiculous. At the very least, tobacco consumption should be banned in public just like drinking is in most states.

Or make weed legal, safer than either of the others.

[emailking]

Bro did I ever say that it should? All I’m saying is that 18 for weed and tobacco makes sense while 21 for alcohol makes sense.

I thought by saying it makes sense for the age to be 21 that you were advocating it should be illegal before 21.

Regardless, I don't think it makes sense for the age of legalization to be 21, even if it can stunt brain development. It's bad for your brain at any age.

[Crumpets]

I think it's less authoritarianism and moor just a want for consistency. If you can't buy pot or alcohol until you're 21, it only makes sense to apply it to tabacco as well.

Another way to have consistency would be be to lower the pot and alcohol ages to 18.

I agree.

[America Needs a 13-6 Progressive SCOTUS]

It’s insane how authoritarian you all are. The idea that most of you think legal adults shouldn’t be able to smoke a legal drug is beyond me.

I think it's less authoritarianism and moor just a want for consistency. If you can't buy pot or alcohol until you're 21, it only makes sense to apply it to tabacco as well.

Do

Uh... no. There's actual science to the alcohol age being 21 as it relates to brain development. Setting that age for nicotine is just blasphemy. Nicotine is harmless in vape form, except for the potential for addiction, which is a decision adults should be able to make themselves.

Do actually have a source for that. Only a handful of countries have a drinking age of higher than 18 so I doubt that's true.

Brains are still developing until people reach their early 20's. Alcohol stunts brain development. There are multiple sources for this.

Brains are still not fully developed until people reach the age of 26 in some cases.

[darklordoftech]

Here's the bill:

https://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/editorialfiles/2019/05/20/T21.pdf

I wonder how a Secretary of Health and Human and Services-enforced age would interact with an FDA-enforced age.

[darklordoftech]

An update on this: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthcare/mcconnell-bill-to-raise-legal-smoking-age-to-21-to-get-vote-in-senate-panel