McConnell proposes raising the tobacco age to 21

[darklordoftech]

OK, possibly dumb question, but I thought tobacco ages were determined by the states. Is McConnell trying to do what the federal government did in the 80s to compel the states to raise the drinking age to 21? (Raise the drinking age or lose your highway funds)

He hasn't said what the mechanism will be for enforcing a federal age. There's also the possibility that he's making an empty threat to get the tobacco companies to give more money to his campaign.

[Progressive Pessimist]

OK, possibly dumb question, but I thought tobacco ages were determined by the states. Is McConnell trying to do what the federal government did in the 80s to compel the states to raise the drinking age to 21? (Raise the drinking age or lose your highway funds)

Republicans don't care about federalism anymore, so maybe.

[darklordoftech]

OK, possibly dumb question, but I thought tobacco ages were determined by the states. Is McConnell trying to do what the federal government did in the 80s to compel the states to raise the drinking age to 21? (Raise the drinking age or lose your highway funds)

There's two federal tobacco age laws: There's the Synar Amendment, which denies substance abuse funds to states with a tobacco age under 18, and there's the FDA ban on sales to people under 18. Both only regulate sales to people, not possession. The very act that gives the FDA the power to regulate tobacco forbids it from age-restricting tobacco to a higher age.

[emailking]

This doesn't bother me.

However.

If they raise the age for tobacco usage to 21, then they must also raise the age you're allowed to join the military to 21 as well.  Either that, or keep the age at 18 for both (and alcohol as well).  You shouldn't be allowed to fight and die for your country but not allowed to go buy a pack of cigarettes.

While I admire the intention, this would be terrible for a lot of people who have no plans to go to college after graduating and are looking to join the military for a career out of high school.

That's why I think the age should be 18 for everything. If an 18 year old is mature enough to make the decision to go to war, which I think they probably are, than they are mature enough to drink or smoke.

[Santander]

As an on-and-off smoker since 14, I have no problem with this.

You shouldn't be allowed to fight and die for your country but not allowed to go buy a pack of cigarettes.

One has nothing to do with the other.

[emailking]

As an on-and-off smoker since 14, I have no problem with this.

You shouldn't be allowed to fight and die for your country but not allowed to go buy a pack of cigarettes.

One has nothing to do with the other.

Other than logical consistency.

[Sir Mohamed]

I wouldn't be surprised if this dude comes up proposing voting age 21.

[politics_king]

I support it. Won't stop young people from smoking but I support it.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Mixed feelings from me.  This is a shock coming from a senator who represents a tobacco-growing state.  I wonder how folks at home feel about this.

I generally believe in a single age of majority at 18 for most things.  (Even driving at 16 makes me uneasy... but then I also believe that voting should be legal at 16, so I'm not one to lecture on consistency I suppose.)  I've also had a tobacco cigarette maybe once or twice over the last year and I'm well over 21 now, so I'm not personally invested in this.

But if you support a full tobacco ban as some people in this thread do, all I can say is we've tried prohibition.  Twice.  It doesn't work.  And if you tax or restrict a substance too much, be it tobacco or alcohol or drugs, people will find ways to acquire them illegally which can have bad results.  Eric Garner is a classic example.

(In my opinion - which is partly based on personal experience - generally the fewer interactions people have with the po-po, the better.)

Either that, or keep the age at 18 for both (and alcohol as well).  You shouldn't be allowed to fight and die for your country but not allowed to go buy a pack of cigarettes.

In a way it's funny considering they literally used to hand out cigarettes to the troops in World War II.  My grandfather never smoked, so he always gave them to his buddies.

[Santander]

Eric Garner was a criminal and thug.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I wouldn't be surprised if this dude comes up proposing voting age 21.

He's not getting a constitutional amendment for that passed so no.

Besides Republicans now believe that 18-20 year olds are a Republican-voting demographic, the super conservative Gen Z canard. It's 20s/30s who hate them in their mind (correctly!)

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Lol at all the people in this thread who think raising the age is gonna stop 18-21 people from smoking.  This will just raise the demand and I guarantee won't make it harder for those who actually want to

Well it probably will cut the numbers. Previous raises in the age of purchase have resulted in cuts in young people taking up the practice

What previous raises are you referring to?

The ages being raised to 18 in the first place?

[courts]

Mixed feelings from me.  This is a shock coming from a senator who represents a tobacco-growing state.  I wonder how folks at home feel about this.

I generally believe in a single age of majority at 18 for most things.  (Even driving at 16 makes me uneasy... but then I also believe that voting should be legal at 16, so I'm not one to lecture on consistency I suppose.)  I've also had a tobacco cigarette maybe once or twice over the last year and I'm well over 21 now, so I'm not personally invested in this.

i may hate tobacco but i hate the idea of raising the age for purchasing it even more just on principle. 18 is more than old enough to make those sorts of decisions

[Free Bird]

Am I the only one weirded out that Mitch is actually proposing a policy like a normal Senator instead of his usual gig as a puppetmaster/strategist?

[Cokeland Saxton]

I hope it does get raised. Smart idea.

[darklordoftech]

I wonder how the 2020 candidates feel about this.

[user12345]

I wonder how the 2020 candidates feel about this.

Insley signed it into law in Washington only weeks ago. Otherwise, I would guess most are in support.

[Sumner 1868]

Is this thread from 1996?

[darklordoftech]

Is this thread from 1996?

Nobody was talking about raising the tobacco age to 21 in 1996.

[President Johnson]

I may support such a proposal. Tabacco should just be taxed through the roof to pay for medical costs. Taxes for healthier things should be reduced in return.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I may support such a proposal. Tabacco should just be taxed through the roof to pay for medical costs. Taxes for healthier things should be reduced in return.

You see, we live in America, where the police will kill the sellers in the black market to avoid those taxes, pun intended. A regressive tax on the poorly educated, among other non-privileged classes isn't ideal either.

[Crumpets]

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.

[Coastal Elitist]

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.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

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.

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.

Think of it as giving people a few more years to grow a brain before they turn themselves into a slave for all of their extremely shortened eternity.

[darklordoftech]

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.

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.

More importantly, nicotine doesn't make people more dangerous drivers while alcohol does.