Tobacco Buying Age Raised To 21

Harder To Consume Tobacco

The Trump administration has officially raised the tobacco buying age to 21. But why did it take this many decades to pass this common sense policy? History has taught us that banning a substance does not work: alcohol prohibition was a failure and the current schedule I classification of marijuana is quickly crumbling.

But something different is at play here. While tobacco is not illegal, young adults will now have to wait an extra three years to purchase it on their own. While there are many teens who rely on their older friends and family members for such types of purchases, there are also many who will now not get their hands on tobacco. Three years is a lot of time for a young adult’s judgment and planning to improve.

For every less person who now consumes tobacco, that’s another victory in the bag for the the medical field. While this policy will not prevent tobacco use altogether, it’s a step in the right direction: it spreads a message that the government is not willing to stand by and casually observe the youth ruin their throats, lungs and mental health with tobacco products and vaping.

Nicotine is the most addictive substance known to mankind. It’s the perfect deadly combo: it’s legal, it doesn’t get you high and it makes you feel good. Making you feel good is not equivalent to getting high. Getting high is when your mind is intoxicated: your thinking is impaired. Feeling good is when your mind is relaxed, as if your mind is taking a “breather” from life.

But as your mind takes a breather, your lungs take a hit: a few thousand carcinogens that impair the cilia lining the bronchioles of your lungs and the immune system, resulting in the accelerated formation of potential cancer cells. When cancer cells make your lungs their new home, the pleasure from years of smoking suddenly gives you the biggest guilt trip of your life.

Will the tobacco buying age of 21 prevent the consumption of tobacco-related products? Absolutely not. Will it make a dent? Possibly. What is the point? Intervention. You see, not everything is about liberalism, even though it’s widely promoted and accepted in this day and age. On the other hand, being too conservative and implementing prohibition has clearly proven to not work.

So rather than viewing this new age limit as an attempt by the government to interfere with our rights and liberties, look at it from the point of view of Big Brother stepping in to provide guidance and protection. This guidance is an honest attempt to prevent our physical and mental health from deteriorating from one of the most deadliest drugs known to man.

Are you Ready? (This is Defeating Stigma Mindfully)