Currently in New Jersey, legislators are tackling a bill that will raise the legal buying age from 19 to 21 years old. If this bill passes, the state would loose over $1 million in revenue every year on cigarette tax. New Jersey's assemblywoman Pam Lampitt said, "We moved the drinking age from 18 to 21 and we've had better outcomes." This bill would also save millions in health care for would-be-smokers if they never start smoking. "Moving it up just a few years could prevent our youth from adopting addictive behaviors," Lampitt says. The senate and assembly already passed legislation, it now goes to house floor.
This can relate to the Temperance Movement (1830's & 1840's), the country's first anti-alcohol movement. Although today, smoking isn't completely prohibited, this may be the country's first step to completely eliminating smoking. It would definitely benefit the health of all generations today and future ones.
Click here for the article.
This is a good idea because people can get addicted at crazy young ages
ReplyDelete