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Comment by hellisothers | Hacker News Reader

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.

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“_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.

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