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Comment by Wowfunhappy | Hacker News Reader

The age gating is a bit stupid, but in the case of cigarettes, I'd be perfectly happy if no one of any age was able to use them, with exceptions for people who are already addicted.

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It’s very stupid. When you are an adult you deserve to be able to make your own decisions. This is a great example of Congress going against the wishes of a huge portion of the voting population and “telling them what’s good for them”. It’s tacit erosion of freedom under the guise of something helpful and makes me ashamed of our Congress.

Nobody is an island, your freedom to make poor life choices is my liability to support as your health deteriorates and my tax dollars have to pay for the externalities of tobacco consumption. It’s not being outlawed, it’s being delayed until you can make better life choices with the wisdom of age and experience.

“_I_ have to pay for _you_” is a particularly empty argument when there are no restrictions on calorie consumption, motorcycle usage, sedentary lifestyle, dangerous hobbies, etc. Also it is a similarly entitled argument to telling police “I pay your salary!”

...yes. We do pay the police and they should be in service of the public.

not sure what you’re arguing for with respect to yelling “I pay your salary!” at govt employees

What world do you live in? The government's primary function is to control the people. That's a descriptive statement.

> calorie consumption

Healthy food subsidies and soda/candy taxes. Restrictions on food stamps.

> motorcycle usage

Licensing, training, and helmet requirements, age minimum.

> dangerous hobbies

Licensing and training requirements, often with age minimums.

It'd be great if the government could reduce sedentary lifestyles, but making people do stuff tends to be harder than making them not do certain things.

None of those things are banned, which was my point. OP was suggesting banning smoking entirely.

Well you're not wrong, we should clearly thrive to enforce healthy life choices. What's the opposite of your argument? Beer is legal so coke should be because muh freedom?

A lot of things would probably be safer if legalized and regulated, seeing as a black market will fill the need otherwise

> it’s being delayed until you can make better life choices with the wisdom of age and experience

and yet you can join the army and kill some people before you have the wisdom of age and experience?

How many US army enlisted have killed a person, I wonder? I'd guess <1% (unless suicides count)

Most people in the military are not in combat positions. Only 1% of their forces are combat and out of those only 10% actually see combat. That being said, the lack of age gate for the military should spark discussion about increasing the age of enlistment rather than justification for lowering the age people can buy cigarettes.

I’d argue making illegal doesn’t prevent use. Does the 21 age limit prevent underage drinking? Education is the key factor in preventing use.

Doesn't prevent use, but definitely reduces use.

Except when you smoke cigarettes the people around you suffer from it too.

Honestly the thing I hate about the rest of the world is the second hand smoke

It hurts my eyes, I know its bad for my lungs, and its aggravating to see the attractive people doing it to blend it, to me its like they are stuck in the 2000s

If your own decision is to smoke my lungs with your passive smoke, then you should at least get a fine.

They should at least outlaw using it anywhere but the smoker's home. I can't breathe when I smell cigarette smoke. I'm all for freedom to make your own stupid decisions, but cigarette smoke impacts people around you.

Yikes, I'd be glad not to pay for other people cigarette or alcohol induced cancers and other health issues. It's not the wild west anymore, your neighbor decisions impact your life directly.

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