Skip to main content

Today's Poll: Should the age to buy tobacco and e-cigarette products be raised to 21?

By Howard B. Owens
John Roach

I voted no because I feel that if you can vote at 18 and serve in the military at 18, then you should be able to decide for yourself if you want to buy a legal product at 18. If you feel that at 18, they are not smart or responsible to make good decisions, then raise the voting age back to 21.

Jan 14, 2019, 10:18am Permalink
tom hunt

I voted yes, because at the age of 18 the brain has not developed to the point to make rational decisions Also peer pressure is still having an effect. That is why the military likes to get them at age so they can remold them easier.

Jan 14, 2019, 1:10pm Permalink
david spaulding

NYS government has got to control every aspect of a citizen's life.... The people of NY are ok with that as they keep re-electing the same old same old.. It sux but I'm going to have to move when I retire.

Jan 14, 2019, 6:48pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

The human brain hasn't reached its full cognitive ability and full rational decision-making ability until 24 or 25, so ...

Jan 14, 2019, 7:03pm Permalink
Kevin Volk

Mr. Hunt:

Respectfully, I can take your point and use it to support the opposite position. If we put aside the question of whether prohibition works and consider the proposal solely in terms of whether the young people involved are capable of making good decisions (<em>good</em> here defined as thought-out, not necessarily as meeting with anyone's approval), then there are a lot of things that we ought to reconsider letting young people do on their own, such as driving and college studies. To that end, just as we consider anyone under the age of majority as requiring a parent's assistance to make good decisions, why not eliminate these minimum age laws so that the parents may assist in these decisions, as well?

Jan 15, 2019, 12:56pm Permalink

Authentically Local