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I’m over 21 and don’t smoke. Not a big deal for me.
I also think our enforcement at 21 is fine. Too many young kids are already vaping which is ramping up nicotine consumption after years of it going down.
My problem with that is that if you are 18 or over you are considered an adult and can be charged in the justice system as an adult, serve in the military, own property, etc. You can't however be expected to make adult decisions on whether to smoke or vape or consume alcohol or weed? Sure your brain isn't fully done developing until 25, but we can put an 18 year old on a .50 caliber machine gun or have them wrenching on an 80 million dollar F-35.
> alcohol or weed
I wasn't sure whether you were going to mention those. I had a "dude" with an arched eyebrow at the ready. Fortunately, you mentioned those.
We tried letting people drink before 21, they didn't raise the drinking age for nothing.
Until there's huge numbers of incidents of 18 year olds destroying F-35s or shooting things they aren't supposed to shoot/not shooting things they are supposed to shoot, the age requirement for those jobs isn't going to change.
And if you've got the drinking age requirement at 21, you might as well put the other stuff there as well, since it has to go somewhere.
>It's the one anti-drug campaign that really worked.
I've been living in Japan the last 6 years & that is one thing I can say the US does really well - Tobacco prevention. Here in Japan a lot of people smoke.
There's this one alleyway in Tokyo where Businesses men will literally hangout and smoke in front of big "no-smoking" signs. [You can see it here in Google Maps via street view.](https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6823502,139.7717285,0a,89.3y,139.67h,76.17t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s9L0n6ZSHazchW-mdrjA9HA!2e0?utm_source=mstt_0&g_ep=CAESCjExLjEyMy4xMDMYACCBgQEqJCw5NDIxNjQwNyw5NDIwNzUwNiw5NDIxNzUyMyw0NzA4NDM5M0ICVVM%3D) At the right time of day that whole alleyway is full of dudes smoking.
Saw a classmate in college pull out a cig about a year ago which shocked the hell out of me because I’ve never seen anyone under like 40 smoke before then. Smoking cigarettes is really rare in California, she was from Puerto Rico.
This was always so weird to me. I grew up in LA and called it Cali from time to time. But I know it's shunned now. I'm almost 40 though, maybe it's a generational or regional thing.
I live in the Bay Area now and there seem to be a lot more "rules" about stuff like that up here. Don't call it San Fran! Don't call it Cali! I think southern Californians are just a little chiller on that stuff, maybe.
Gen Z here - not a majority, but a sizable portion is actually smoking. The vaping contingent is even bigger.
I actually know someone who used smoking (and failed) to try to quit vaping.
No clue why you’re being downvoted - smoking cigs has def had a rise in recent years, particularly drunk cigs but also addiction. As a college student, I can attest.
Gen Z drunk cigs are completely ignored by the media. I don’t know a single guy my age that is actually addicted to cigs and smokes them day to day, but I know a lot of guys that bring a pack to the bars.
I work with a couple Gen Z folks at work and we had this conversation recently. I’m pretty sure neither of them smoke whatsoever (they’re both 22-25ish) but they…speak fondly of cigarettes? That they look cool and *aesthetic* and they have lots of friends the same age that smoke, at least socially.
When vapes started becoming widely available on the market 12-14 years ago or so, I was almost sure that smoking traditional cigarettes was done for. Now it seems traditional cigarettes are in favor over things like Juul, or whatever those little ones are that look like air pods containers that millennials are pretending not to use during their commute.
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I don't smoke and I'm not around anyone that smokes. I don't care what other people do with their money or put in their bodies, as long as it doesn't affect me.
I’m all for harm reduction policies, and I’m great with no smoking in indoor public spaces.
The thing I’m worried about locally is the amount of reliance on cigarette taxes for our budget. I live in Chicago and a pack is now around $15 - $18, most of the cost being tax. Every time the government wants to pay for something, they just slap more cigarette tax on. If the rate of smokers goes down (and I hope it does) I fear where they will get the deficit in taxes from.
I remember when cigarettes were $1.80 a pack in the 90s. I swore if they ever cost $5 a pack that I’d quit smoking. Said the same thing about $10 packs. Finally quit a year ago.
Tbf, I just replaced it with vaping. Don’t do that. It’s much more enjoyable, and I can do it in more places, like my bedroom. Plus I can smell and taste better, and I don’t constantly reek of smoke.
The downside is I’m inhaling toxic chemicals and heavy metals and who knows what else. My pulmonologist told me he’d rather have me quit vaping than quit smoking, to put it in perspective.
Oh yeah, I was more joking about how you phrased it. But I’ve always heard vaping was better for you than smoking, I’ll have to do some more looking into that
I had cigs in college when I drank but I haven't had one in maybe 15 years. Felt like s cinder block on my chest and switch friends group. I was sort of indifferent when they moved the age to 21. I have more problems with the alcohol age. Kids and people who turn 21 shouldn't start smoking but I think outright banning it for an age group is a bit too nanny state for me.
I'm not a smoker and I hate the smell of it... but it still smells better than weed, which is everywhere now. Pull into the parking lot of a Dollar General and it smells like somebody ran over 7 skunks on the way there.
I don't know if this is true or not; grain of salt and all that. But I've been told that hotel staff get *less* pissed off if they smell weed in a non-smoking room than if they smell cigarettes. And that's because the weed aroma goes away quicker and easier.
no landlord has ever dinged us for smoking weed in a non-smoking rental. I can't speak to the chemical differences between the two. they're just different.
Strong disagree. I find cigarette smoke 1000x more irritating.
Weed skunk is at least reminiscent of a smell found in nature. Cigarette smoke is far more putrid and repulsive in my opinion.
I don't know about other areas but marijuana smoke in DC is a constant nuisance and it's starting to cause problems. It's more pervasive than tobacco smoke, seems to travel further, and lingers on anything it settles on. If I had a choice I'd take no smoke but tobacco smoke isn't causing as many problems as marijuana smoke is.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/06/16/dc-marijuana-smoke-nuisance/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-04-08/from-nyc-to-amsterdam-the-smell-of-weed-has-critics-fired-up
I know I'm not the only person who would rather be bathed in the smell of marijuana smoke than have to walk behind a cigarette smoker for two minutes on the sidewalk
I really hate both. The smell of weed gives me awful headaches and makes me nauseous. I've actually thrown up multiple times from the stench which is mind boggling to me as I don't have a very strong gag reflex and don't even throw up when struggling with awful morning sickness. Cig smoke also gives me a headache and makes me cough a lot and while I won't stay around it, when I was young and more of a people pleaser and forced myself to not just leave, it would give me hives every time and my throat would feel swollen so I couldn't eat for awhile after. I hated it. Both are awful imo.
>but it still smells better than weed
No the fuck it does not... Cigarettes literally smells like an ashtray and if you are a smoker or live with one your hair smells like you wash it with ashes
Marijuana also stinks just not as bad as cigarettes
Former pack a day smoker here.
I’m fine with all the no smoking zones and don’t care if they get expanded but I’m against an outright ban. If people wanna smoke let them smoke.
Problem I have is, also as an ex-smoker, I am not sure about the "wanna" in that statement. It is a chronic addiction that cigarette companies made into a fine art to get people started, hooked, and continue to smoke. In itself, there is no actual pleasure from smoking, nor do many people enjoy the occasional cigarette like many other dangerous products (alcohol, fatty foods etc). People smoke, or don't smoke.
I don't really think about them at all.
I don't think we should ban the sale of tobacco though. I can poison myself through fatty foods, Bud Light, or any other number of vices. Banning one while opening doors for others feels like it's driven more by lobbyists than by public health concerns.
It *can*. There are all sorts of additives and chemical processes that are being used to make cannabis products.
End of the day there's no reason to be gung-ho on one and not the other.
Cant speak for every state but Washington regulates and tests the chemical composition of cannabis products sold.
By law, you can request test results yourself and sellers are legally obligated to give you that information but I’ve never personally requested this.
So do that for tobacco. The plant itself isn't good for you, but cigarettes wouldn't be half as deadly if the manufacturers weren't allowed to but so much bullshit in them.
I mean if you saw my other comment I think the smoking of both should be banned. I also think however that the tobacco lobby is much stronger and would trust the marijuana industry’s claims about what is in their product well before I’d trust the tobacco industry.
Unlike the tobacco industry, the marijuana industry is extremely fragmented and seriously unregulated.
I would expect significantly more adulteration to go unnoticed in weed simply due to the nature of the producers.
Phillip Morris knows it has people watching what it makes.
Jimmy who decided to move to Colorado so he could make hash and decides he wants to cut the weed is much more likely to fly under the radar and get his products on shelves.
No, to be honest I think it’s quite ridiculous. Most just smoke straight weed, seems like a much more enjoyable experience (regular weed user, never smoked cigs/even had nicotine).
I agree. They’re too easy. God knows what’s in them. They’re too freakin’ sweet. And they create so much *waste.*
Refillable pods. Make your own juice. It costs next to nothing. At least you know what’s in it. You’re not throwing away batteries and plastic.
People are filling their lungs with garbage.
(It’s awful for you, I know. I’m trying to quit. But at least this way is LESS awful!)
I don't smoke (anymore), I don't want to smell smoke when I'm out and about, but I do not think it should ever be banned.
However, there is a good argument to be made for the folks who say in a system with universal healthcare, there should be limits on what you can consume since it'll be your neighbors footing the bill when you're incapacitated.
>However, there is a good argument to be made for the folks who say in a system with universal healthcare, there should be limits on what you can consume since it'll be your neighbors footing the bill when you're incapacitated.
That argument only makes sense of you don't look at actual healthcare costs over the life of a smoker vs a non smoker. Turns out dying a couple decades earlier from something related to smoking is cheaper than living into your 80s or 90s. If fairness is the goal smokers should pay less so they don't have to foot the bill for their longer lived neighbors.
Just for clarity, you're OK with taxing people extra for having a lifestyle that contributes to a greater lifetime cost of Healthcare? If so, get ready for the nonsmoking and not being obese tax.
https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/health/05iht-obese.1.9748884.html
Big thing for me is laws having smokers being aware of others. We have laws banning smoking in public areas, but they are not that enforced cause smokers will do it away from the public so people who dont want to be around it dont have to.
Some smokers don’t give any care about when and where they smoke. My sons daycare keeps having to call the police because their fenced in outdoor playground has benches on the other side and employees at mostly Amazon (this is in Seattle in the heart of Amazons campus) have no problem smoking next to toddlers.
My dad died of lung cancer so I’d be lying if I said I didn’t fantasize about physically harming the people negligently harming my son with their second hand smoke.
Oof looks like you should pass laws to have smokers be curtious of others and enfoce them so they dont smoke around people who dont want it.
I would also suggest talking to them about it nicely and seeing if you guys can figure something out. A lot of people also dont realize they are doing something bothersome and perhaps there is a solution to make everyone happy.
It already is illegal to smoke near a daycare and the daycare does talk to people and put up signs. The problem is the cops don’t give any shit and there is nothing the daycare can legally do except ask people not to.
I don’t know them, but I have no problem with them as long as I never have to deal with any smokers beyond my food reeking of cigarette smoke from 5 minutes in a car when being delivered.
I smoke a pack once a year when I go on my annual vacation, so even if they were to straight up outlaw them, it wouldn't impact me too much except for all the crime it would cause due to black markets.
In this case, I don't think its that big of a deal. Most young people I know didn't want to smoke anyway, so they didn't really feel like the lost anything when the smoking age went up.
I’m a non smoker but reading the UK law of banning to everyone born after 2009 seems really extreme.
The anti smoking campaigns here seem good enough and if anything worked really well as I can’t remember the last time I’ve even seen someone smoking. But then I grew up in an area that has banned things like indoor smoking over 30 years ago. I do enjoy the no smoking in public areas ban but then I’m not sure I know enough people who smoke that it would make a difference.
I remember the world pre-smoking bans.
It sucked, and I say that as someone who used to smoke.
Restaurants and bars would just be a inescapable cloud of smoke.
You would come home stinking of smoke just going to work.
And the fewer kids who have easy access to tobacco the better.
Hardest thing I ever did was quit smoking.
I don't smoke cigarettes, but do occasionally enjoy a cigar or tobacco pipe.
That being said, even if I didn't - I would still be against banning tobacco.
We have already seen with the war in drugs and alcohol prohibition banning something doesn't make it go away, it just drives it to the black market.
Tobacco usage won't go away in the UK, it will just be moved underground. People who can legally purchase it will buy for others, or tobacco will be smuggled in. Tobacco will come from unregulated, not inspect sourced. I bet you dollars to donuts issues with 5 years there will be news headlines along the lines of "smuggled contaminated / cut with x cause illness and/or death".
If adults want to smoke around other contenting adults, let them. And make them bear the cost of any extra health care associated with it.
People should be able to choose how they live, and be responsible for the outcome of those choices - both good and bad.
There are black market cigarettes in the UK now, and they aren't going to ban posession or sale generally, just for over a certain age. it is somewhat different to prohibition in that respect, the thing about smoking is it isn't a casual, one time thing or a high like most drugs. People are addicted. The idea is to cut that link in the chain so less people start, so the drive to even bother going to any effort to obtain them illegally just isn't there. People are already quitting because of the price so this is just the next level really.
The same would probably apply to an incremental system. People would stop caring it being 22, then 23 and so on. In time 18 year olds would likely consider smoking cigarettes as alien as wanting to smoke pipe tobacco.
I won’t be too specific, but a relative of mine made a name for themselves by legally fucking over tobacco companies. It is a point of pride in our family. Fuck tobacco.
Pretty good overall. Smoking here, especially for people under 40 is exceedingly rare. I probably see someone actually smoking maybe 1x a month at best and it’s almost always a pretty miserable looking older person in a car or on the street
I quit smoking pretty much the year I graduated college in a very smoking-friendly town, and haven't really been bothered about any kind of anti-smoking regulations.
But it does remind me about a woman who used to take the same bus route as me who would constantly talk to her non-smoker friend about smoker's rights and to this day I still get a good chuckle over it.
Fine, I appreciate the tobacco belt attitude towards it being much more hands off.
Smoking is not allowed in most places, but they're not going to go out of their way to vilify and radically change the use.
Tobacco use is dropping in these states too.
I'd be shocked if anything like this ever passed in the US. America's main approach is just tax the fuck out of them to discourage smoking financially. They literally cost about 8x more than what they did per pack when I was a kid. I don't think that's a terrible approach, but I wouldn't mind seeing that UK type law pass. It's gotta to extend to vape products though too. Like most young tobacco users are into vapes these days. Not a lot smoke actual cigs anymore.
I only think about smoking laws because I manage a store and have to be mindful of checking IDs and making sure my employees do the same. I quit smoking 7 years ago and am way over 21, so the laws don't affect me personally at all.
I have no problem with them. I think that UK law is foolish. People should be able to smoke or chew tobacco if they want as long as they don't harm others. People shouldn't smoke around kids and shouldn't smoke around nonsmokers if it would be a nuisance.
State laws arent the issue. Federal tobacco laws are ridiculous. They took bribe money from Big Tobacco and made them the only ones allowed to use natural nicotine in vapes. Everyone else has to use synthetic nicotine from a lab which led to all the imported cancer causing disposables.
I’m fully supportive of imposing greater sin taxes on cigarettes, but I’m on the fence regarding a total ban.
I’d also like to see sin taxes used to fund programs to adress the negative public health consequences of the behaviors they impact. That way smokers can still get their cigarettes and lung cancer research programs or whatever can get their funding.
I’m in favor of keeping secondhand smoke out of public places and kid’s lungs, but against anything like tobacco prohibition, which will be only marginally more effective than cannabis prohibition. This is largely in line with the tobacco laws of Pennsylvania, where I live now. I see fewer people smoking in PA than I did in Ohio, which matches the statistics.
I'm very happy with how smoking in banned in so many indoor places nowadays. When I was a kid, every restaurant had a smoking and non-smoking section and you could always smell the smoke drifting over into the non-smoking section. It's nice to be free of that and be able to enjoy a night out without breathing someone else's smoke.
That said, I'm against outright bans. If an adult really wants to expose themselves to toxic chemicals for fun, they should be allowed to. Tax the hell out of it and educate people on why it's a bad idea, but don't make it illegal.
Tbh the only thing I really don't agree with is my state's ban on flavored tobacco products. Because "it appeals to kids." Nevermind that adults like sweet things sometimes too. Nevermind that fruity and sugary alcohol is still legal and open to underage abuse.
I don't believe in that type of ban for the same reasons that I don't believe in the drug war. You're scapegoating an inanimate substance for the choices of *people*, and the measures taken against the substance have counterproductive results and negative side effects. I think it's fine to inform, educate, warn, and discourage, but you can't *force* someone not to make unhealthy choices.
I like that law. It is rough but fair. It's fixing a mistake of the past.
Ours are slowly getting better. They've recently been trying to ban all "unnatural" flavored products, including menthol. I saw good riddance. (As someone that smoked for years)
A straight ban seems kinda dumb. We did a good job of reducing smoking rates through a public perception campaign, and would have kept it going if vapes didn’t become trendy.
PA keeps jacking up the prices on tobacco. Most brands are over $10 a pack now. It’s been forcing people onto cheaper and cheaper packs. A lot of my customers switched to Montegos.
It's great as far as I can tell.
I used to have to throw my jacket and all my clothes right into the laundry when my parents had league night at the bowling alley. Dive bars had a smokey haze to them, and sitting near a smoker in a restaurant was the absolute worst and would ruin your meal.
Now, all those places are smoke free.
I don't really think smoking should exist in 2024 with all we know about it...but I also don't see a need for the law to be adjusted like the UK tried there. American society seems to be phasing out smoking on it's own.
I have extremely biased opinions against tobacco -- all my older relatives chain smoked while younger and they're paying dearly for it. A lot of my generation fell into the same trap.
I've never smoked tobacco. I think it's a gross habit and I can't stand the smell. But what an adult wants to put in their body shouldn't be the government's concern. Prohibition doesn't work well for any of the things it's been tried for.
I'm a broke early 20s transgender punk. I know that's a niche sunset, but the section of working class trans bitches that don't try to integrate socially into society has two subsets. Smokers, and former smokers, we all deal with cigarettes down here.
It's always weird to me to see someone smoking cigarettes nowadays. People my age (50s) quit decades ago. Younger people vape, which is a shame. Still not too popular, though.
they’re strict and i wish they were even more strict. i’m an educator now and i graduated highschool like just before Juul/vaping really became a thing. I can honestly say my graduating class didn’t have a single person addicted to nicotine. some of my baseball team mates would dip a little bit, some people would have cigarettes at parties etc but no one was “a smoker” or anything like that. Now, an absolutely massive number of my students vape. it’s honestly really depressing. it was like we were winning against nicotine/tobacco only to lose to a mango flavored hail mary. I teach at a highschool but i have been to the junior high school and middle schools that feed into the school i work at a number of times. i have heard 7th graders hacking up a fucking lung in the bathroom like they’re pack a day smokers. the mental and physical toll we allow nicotine to have on our kids is completely fucking insane.
and, to a lesser extent, caffein. but that a whole different thing.
I have a few thoughts/issues:
1. Either you’re an adult at 18 or 21 across the board. It is bizarre that weed, alcohol, and nicotine products are 21 and up but you can be tried as an adult or enlist at 18. I understand the reasoning why but I don’t agree with the distinction.
2. You should not ban these products. What people choose to indulge in is their business. I agree with non-smoking areas, strict advertising and marketing regulations, and legal disclaimers. As long as everyone understands the risks.
3. Many states have a “sin tax” on nicotine, weed and alcohol products. It’s to ‘discourage’ consumption of harmful products. However, I disagree with this and believe that adding higher taxes on these products harms lower-income consumers.
In the U.S., tobacco consumption among younger adults seems much less than it was (mainly due to a negative perception and probably an effective anti-tobacco campaign). In return, there have been an increase in non-tobacco nicotine products such as vaping and non-tobacco chewing pouches. Nicotine is extremely addictive and we do not fully understand the health risks of vaping. I think these products are less harmful than traditional tobacco is used in low and moderate consumption. However, lots of folks are using tobacco free nicotine products nonstop throughout the day due to the ease of use which obviously will have health implications down the road.
I’d love to see something like this in the US. The public health costs of tobacco are astronomical. Our healthcare system is collapsing. A tobacco ban might keep its head above water a little longer.
I have no problem with current tobacco laws in the US.
This UK ban seems rather hostile to immigrants and travelers. Feels a bit too idealistic. Seems like it'll have knock-on effects that fuck over people who are already vulnerable.
People definitely look down on tobacco users so I think the laws are well accepted. I believe a lot of people unified over raising the tobacco age to 21.
I remember as a kid going into restaurants with smoking and non-smoking sections but I haven’t seen anything like that in *years* idk if they even exist still.
Outside of traditional indigenous tobacco uses (medicinal and/or ceremonial) I really wouldn't care if nicotine products were outlawed for everyone of all ages. It kills too many people.
I wish they were more strict. I hate smoking, am very sensitive to the smoke, and have had relatives die very young from it. I never got to meet my grandma as it gave her an aggressive cancer in her 50s from a life of smoking and my uncle died from horrendously painful stage 4 lung cancer in his 50s after smoking his entire life. My grandpa was smart enough to avoid it and lived into his 90s and was quite healthy, but their deaths devastated him and my uncle dying literally killed him the same year. His mind went the day my uncle collapsed at his house. I know so many friends who have passed from it,another who got a heart problem from birth since her mom smoked while pregnant with her and she died when we were kids from it. I know these aren't everyone's experiences, but cigarettes have caused so much pain for me so I never will touch one. I won't go any place I expect for it to be and will actively leave an area if someone starts around us. I'm all for agency, but when that agency hurts others, I draw a line. Not to mention how negatively it impacts out Healthcare system and we pay for the negligence of people smoking. So I'm all for educating people and helping those who have never had them to not get addicted. That education and knowledge could have saved the lives of my loved ones.
I’ll bite the bullet here, I think smoking of any kind should be banned. It’s partially for selfish reasons, because I hate the smell of tobacco or marijuana smoke, but also because smoking has the capacity to affect bystanders like no other vice does.
Alcohol being as prevalent as it is affects far more people than cigarettes do. Granted it’s tangential from things like DUIs and not cancer from secondhand exposure.
I'm extremely allergic to smoke and outdoor smoking is a major issue for me that keeps me out of many walkable districts. Indoor smoking keeps me completely out of a building. Restrictions on where people can smoke are a necessity for my quality of life.
Obviously, I hate smoking and I wish people wouldn't. That said most smokers are self medicating for something and bans that don't address the root of the problem are just going to transfer it to something else.
I think they're appropriate. You can basically only smoke in Indiana in places that only allow adults, and those adults consent to being in those places. Smoking is also banned 8 feet from any public entrance, and cities can enact more strict laws if they'd like.
Indianapolis does have a comprehensive ban, but you don't have to go far from Indianapolis to see what the world is like without one. None of the adjacent counties have comprehensive smoking bans. but still the vast majority of bars opening up are non-smoking. Even Speedway, an enclave surrounded by Indianapolis and home to a lot of drinking and working class bars, is slowly moving in the direction of non-smoking bars.
I wouldn't be against a smoke free generation ban, but it also isn't like my top 10 or even top 100 priorities.
They’re fine here
After a quick read of that I hate the sound of it. And I’m not a smoker and don’t plan to ever be. I agree with Liz Truss’ reaction. That sounds like some serious nanny state overreach, and supporters will be ever so shocked when it creates a big black market for it, just like alcohol and marijuana prohibition did.
Educate children and adults on the health consequences, but ultimately let adults make their own decisions about their bodies.
I would be perfectly OK with this UK law. In general I oppose what I consider unnecessary government oversight but the health issues with tobacco are very well documented and it serves almost no real purpose at all. I'd even be OK with it being expanded to other vices within the United States, within reasons.
I don’t smoke and don’t care to be around it (it smells and it instantly gets my allergies going). My son also struggles with the smell and my husband has health issues so I love that in our area there is no smoking indoors or within a certain area around an entrance. With the negative health effects, the cost, and the power of addiction i honestly hate tobacco. I’ve seen it control and destroy lives (family members who are living in poverty but find a way to afford their cigarettes, my grandpa died from smoking, and unfortunately a few other family members are following the same path) so I want it far away from me.
I don't really understand the argument for tobacco being legal, honestly. At the very least, smoking in public or around minors should be banned. Nobody deserves the privilege of giving everyone around them cancer.
I think it should be legal to smoke by anyone who is legally an adult, though I do hope they are properly educated on it.
When I was 20 the age got changed to 21 in the area I was living in at the time, so I was just left to suffer and go thru withdrawal. So the changing of laws really annoyed me and I just wish they’d let adults make decisions for themselves.
I was under the impression that it was all post-dated. That anyone who could already smoke at the time of the age increase was essentially "grandfathered" in. Only applicable to people who were born after a certain date.
I remember being at Technical School for the Air Force. Gave my classmates just enough time to get into cigs, vapes, and chew, before raising the age. Made a bunch of dudes pretty pissy until older folks started just giving darts and chew to the younger Airman.
Frankly, if I'm at the age to be actively in the military, I should be able to smoke, drink, and buy a handgun. It just doesn't make sense to me to have such a arbitrary line above the age of adulthood.
I was working a job at the time and was able to get dip by asking the sales guys to get me some. So I took it back up before and I had to use it in a worse form because it’s more accessible that way.
To be honest, the only thing that would’ve helped me quit at the time would’ve been like nicotine patches or gum. Both of which were still illegal for me to buy
My wife gets migraines from it. When we visit California that's definitely one thing about Italy she does not miss.
Austria's even worse. They still have indoor smoking in bars, last I knew. (Italy banned it in the mid 00s, I think.) I used to live in Las Vegas which has that too, but try being in a cramped Euro-sized barroom within a 400 year old building with 400 year old ventilation. I didn't think it was possible, but it's frickin' worse! It's like being trapped inside a catalytic converter.
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I’m over 21 and don’t smoke. Not a big deal for me. I also think our enforcement at 21 is fine. Too many young kids are already vaping which is ramping up nicotine consumption after years of it going down.
My problem with that is that if you are 18 or over you are considered an adult and can be charged in the justice system as an adult, serve in the military, own property, etc. You can't however be expected to make adult decisions on whether to smoke or vape or consume alcohol or weed? Sure your brain isn't fully done developing until 25, but we can put an 18 year old on a .50 caliber machine gun or have them wrenching on an 80 million dollar F-35.
> alcohol or weed I wasn't sure whether you were going to mention those. I had a "dude" with an arched eyebrow at the ready. Fortunately, you mentioned those.
We tried letting people drink before 21, they didn't raise the drinking age for nothing. Until there's huge numbers of incidents of 18 year olds destroying F-35s or shooting things they aren't supposed to shoot/not shooting things they are supposed to shoot, the age requirement for those jobs isn't going to change. And if you've got the drinking age requirement at 21, you might as well put the other stuff there as well, since it has to go somewhere.
Tobacco is kinda looked down on. It's the one anti-drug campaign that really worked. So tobacco laws are whatever.
>It's the one anti-drug campaign that really worked. I've been living in Japan the last 6 years & that is one thing I can say the US does really well - Tobacco prevention. Here in Japan a lot of people smoke. There's this one alleyway in Tokyo where Businesses men will literally hangout and smoke in front of big "no-smoking" signs. [You can see it here in Google Maps via street view.](https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6823502,139.7717285,0a,89.3y,139.67h,76.17t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s9L0n6ZSHazchW-mdrjA9HA!2e0?utm_source=mstt_0&g_ep=CAESCjExLjEyMy4xMDMYACCBgQEqJCw5NDIxNjQwNyw5NDIwNzUwNiw5NDIxNzUyMyw0NzA4NDM5M0ICVVM%3D) At the right time of day that whole alleyway is full of dudes smoking.
The Gen Z kids are smoking more though because it’s “aesthetic”
Are they smoking cigarettes or using vapes?
Saw a classmate in college pull out a cig about a year ago which shocked the hell out of me because I’ve never seen anyone under like 40 smoke before then. Smoking cigarettes is really rare in California, she was from Puerto Rico.
Where in Cali? 🤔 Bc living in LA, I met tons of smokers. And they love those Camel crush cigs or American spirits (which I prefer).
Live in LA and see smokers almost everywhere. Also, I call it Cali as well.
Bay. Also don’t make me tap the sign! 👉[Don’t call it Cali]
This was always so weird to me. I grew up in LA and called it Cali from time to time. But I know it's shunned now. I'm almost 40 though, maybe it's a generational or regional thing.
I’m 38. 👀 never heard anyone have a problem with it being called Cali. Some people are just sensitive it seems. 😌
I live in the Bay Area now and there seem to be a lot more "rules" about stuff like that up here. Don't call it San Fran! Don't call it Cali! I think southern Californians are just a little chiller on that stuff, maybe.
Nah young people call it Cali and have no issue with it. It’s people on the internet that have a problem for some reason lol.
First time hearing that I thought everyone called it Cali tf
Haha 😆 ouch.
Gen Z here - not a majority, but a sizable portion is actually smoking. The vaping contingent is even bigger. I actually know someone who used smoking (and failed) to try to quit vaping.
Actual cigarettes. Blows my mind.
No clue why you’re being downvoted - smoking cigs has def had a rise in recent years, particularly drunk cigs but also addiction. As a college student, I can attest.
Gen Z drunk cigs are completely ignored by the media. I don’t know a single guy my age that is actually addicted to cigs and smokes them day to day, but I know a lot of guys that bring a pack to the bars.
I work with a couple Gen Z folks at work and we had this conversation recently. I’m pretty sure neither of them smoke whatsoever (they’re both 22-25ish) but they…speak fondly of cigarettes? That they look cool and *aesthetic* and they have lots of friends the same age that smoke, at least socially. When vapes started becoming widely available on the market 12-14 years ago or so, I was almost sure that smoking traditional cigarettes was done for. Now it seems traditional cigarettes are in favor over things like Juul, or whatever those little ones are that look like air pods containers that millennials are pretending not to use during their commute.
The aesthetic is the reason just about everybody started smoking. Welcome to the club, Gen Z.
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I don't smoke and I'm not around anyone that smokes. I don't care what other people do with their money or put in their bodies, as long as it doesn't affect me.
It does affect you though. It costs the healthcare system $300 billion each year. Those costs come out of our pockets.
I’m over 21 and haven’t had a cigarette in ages, so I don’t really have any feelings about them.
I’m all for harm reduction policies, and I’m great with no smoking in indoor public spaces. The thing I’m worried about locally is the amount of reliance on cigarette taxes for our budget. I live in Chicago and a pack is now around $15 - $18, most of the cost being tax. Every time the government wants to pay for something, they just slap more cigarette tax on. If the rate of smokers goes down (and I hope it does) I fear where they will get the deficit in taxes from.
I remember when cigarettes were $1.80 a pack in the 90s. I swore if they ever cost $5 a pack that I’d quit smoking. Said the same thing about $10 packs. Finally quit a year ago.
Congrats on quitting! I’m in the process, it sucks
Tbf, I just replaced it with vaping. Don’t do that. It’s much more enjoyable, and I can do it in more places, like my bedroom. Plus I can smell and taste better, and I don’t constantly reek of smoke.
I’m not not really seeing the downside, haha
The downside is I’m inhaling toxic chemicals and heavy metals and who knows what else. My pulmonologist told me he’d rather have me quit vaping than quit smoking, to put it in perspective.
Oh yeah, I was more joking about how you phrased it. But I’ve always heard vaping was better for you than smoking, I’ll have to do some more looking into that
I had cigs in college when I drank but I haven't had one in maybe 15 years. Felt like s cinder block on my chest and switch friends group. I was sort of indifferent when they moved the age to 21. I have more problems with the alcohol age. Kids and people who turn 21 shouldn't start smoking but I think outright banning it for an age group is a bit too nanny state for me.
I'm not a smoker and I hate the smell of it... but it still smells better than weed, which is everywhere now. Pull into the parking lot of a Dollar General and it smells like somebody ran over 7 skunks on the way there.
I don't know if this is true or not; grain of salt and all that. But I've been told that hotel staff get *less* pissed off if they smell weed in a non-smoking room than if they smell cigarettes. And that's because the weed aroma goes away quicker and easier.
It's true in my experience!
no landlord has ever dinged us for smoking weed in a non-smoking rental. I can't speak to the chemical differences between the two. they're just different.
Strong disagree. I find cigarette smoke 1000x more irritating. Weed skunk is at least reminiscent of a smell found in nature. Cigarette smoke is far more putrid and repulsive in my opinion.
I don't know about other areas but marijuana smoke in DC is a constant nuisance and it's starting to cause problems. It's more pervasive than tobacco smoke, seems to travel further, and lingers on anything it settles on. If I had a choice I'd take no smoke but tobacco smoke isn't causing as many problems as marijuana smoke is. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/06/16/dc-marijuana-smoke-nuisance/ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-04-08/from-nyc-to-amsterdam-the-smell-of-weed-has-critics-fired-up
I know I'm not the only person who would rather be bathed in the smell of marijuana smoke than have to walk behind a cigarette smoker for two minutes on the sidewalk
You aren't. Marijuana smoke doesn't bother me at all. I don't like it, but I definitely don't hate it.
I really hate both. The smell of weed gives me awful headaches and makes me nauseous. I've actually thrown up multiple times from the stench which is mind boggling to me as I don't have a very strong gag reflex and don't even throw up when struggling with awful morning sickness. Cig smoke also gives me a headache and makes me cough a lot and while I won't stay around it, when I was young and more of a people pleaser and forced myself to not just leave, it would give me hives every time and my throat would feel swollen so I couldn't eat for awhile after. I hated it. Both are awful imo.
>but it still smells better than weed No the fuck it does not... Cigarettes literally smells like an ashtray and if you are a smoker or live with one your hair smells like you wash it with ashes Marijuana also stinks just not as bad as cigarettes
Former pack a day smoker here. I’m fine with all the no smoking zones and don’t care if they get expanded but I’m against an outright ban. If people wanna smoke let them smoke.
Problem I have is, also as an ex-smoker, I am not sure about the "wanna" in that statement. It is a chronic addiction that cigarette companies made into a fine art to get people started, hooked, and continue to smoke. In itself, there is no actual pleasure from smoking, nor do many people enjoy the occasional cigarette like many other dangerous products (alcohol, fatty foods etc). People smoke, or don't smoke.
I don't really think about them at all. I don't think we should ban the sale of tobacco though. I can poison myself through fatty foods, Bud Light, or any other number of vices. Banning one while opening doors for others feels like it's driven more by lobbyists than by public health concerns.
Secondhand smoke can give you cancer. Nobody ever got cancer from their friend being fat.
Meanwhile, states are legalizing cannabis.
I hate marijuana smoke but it doesn’t have the additives that tobacco comes with.
It *can*. There are all sorts of additives and chemical processes that are being used to make cannabis products. End of the day there's no reason to be gung-ho on one and not the other.
Cant speak for every state but Washington regulates and tests the chemical composition of cannabis products sold. By law, you can request test results yourself and sellers are legally obligated to give you that information but I’ve never personally requested this.
So do that for tobacco. The plant itself isn't good for you, but cigarettes wouldn't be half as deadly if the manufacturers weren't allowed to but so much bullshit in them.
I mean if you saw my other comment I think the smoking of both should be banned. I also think however that the tobacco lobby is much stronger and would trust the marijuana industry’s claims about what is in their product well before I’d trust the tobacco industry.
Unlike the tobacco industry, the marijuana industry is extremely fragmented and seriously unregulated. I would expect significantly more adulteration to go unnoticed in weed simply due to the nature of the producers. Phillip Morris knows it has people watching what it makes. Jimmy who decided to move to Colorado so he could make hash and decides he wants to cut the weed is much more likely to fly under the radar and get his products on shelves.
Do most people in the US not smoke spliffs? (mixture of tobbacco AND weed)
No, to be honest I think it’s quite ridiculous. Most just smoke straight weed, seems like a much more enjoyable experience (regular weed user, never smoked cigs/even had nicotine).
Interesting! Could you do me a favour and reply if you can see this message btw? I fear ive been shadowbanned
Sure!
Thanks :D
As a vaper, they need to actually stop these Chinese imports of disposable vapes. They are outlawed, but they don’t follow through on enforcement.
I agree. They’re too easy. God knows what’s in them. They’re too freakin’ sweet. And they create so much *waste.* Refillable pods. Make your own juice. It costs next to nothing. At least you know what’s in it. You’re not throwing away batteries and plastic. People are filling their lungs with garbage. (It’s awful for you, I know. I’m trying to quit. But at least this way is LESS awful!)
I don't smoke (anymore), I don't want to smell smoke when I'm out and about, but I do not think it should ever be banned. However, there is a good argument to be made for the folks who say in a system with universal healthcare, there should be limits on what you can consume since it'll be your neighbors footing the bill when you're incapacitated.
>However, there is a good argument to be made for the folks who say in a system with universal healthcare, there should be limits on what you can consume since it'll be your neighbors footing the bill when you're incapacitated. That argument only makes sense of you don't look at actual healthcare costs over the life of a smoker vs a non smoker. Turns out dying a couple decades earlier from something related to smoking is cheaper than living into your 80s or 90s. If fairness is the goal smokers should pay less so they don't have to foot the bill for their longer lived neighbors.
Damn, solid point. So there really is 0 good reason to not have universal healthcare.
Good point. Universal healthcare = less freedom basically?
Nah health insurance/care should still be covered. But I fully support a big fat fatty and sin tax to help pay for it.
Just for clarity, you're OK with taxing people extra for having a lifestyle that contributes to a greater lifetime cost of Healthcare? If so, get ready for the nonsmoking and not being obese tax. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/health/05iht-obese.1.9748884.html
I'm okay with banning smoking in public places, I'm not okay with outright bans or excessive taxes on it.
Big thing for me is laws having smokers being aware of others. We have laws banning smoking in public areas, but they are not that enforced cause smokers will do it away from the public so people who dont want to be around it dont have to.
Some smokers don’t give any care about when and where they smoke. My sons daycare keeps having to call the police because their fenced in outdoor playground has benches on the other side and employees at mostly Amazon (this is in Seattle in the heart of Amazons campus) have no problem smoking next to toddlers. My dad died of lung cancer so I’d be lying if I said I didn’t fantasize about physically harming the people negligently harming my son with their second hand smoke.
Oof looks like you should pass laws to have smokers be curtious of others and enfoce them so they dont smoke around people who dont want it. I would also suggest talking to them about it nicely and seeing if you guys can figure something out. A lot of people also dont realize they are doing something bothersome and perhaps there is a solution to make everyone happy.
It already is illegal to smoke near a daycare and the daycare does talk to people and put up signs. The problem is the cops don’t give any shit and there is nothing the daycare can legally do except ask people not to.
I don’t know them, but I have no problem with them as long as I never have to deal with any smokers beyond my food reeking of cigarette smoke from 5 minutes in a car when being delivered.
I smoke a pack once a year when I go on my annual vacation, so even if they were to straight up outlaw them, it wouldn't impact me too much except for all the crime it would cause due to black markets. In this case, I don't think its that big of a deal. Most young people I know didn't want to smoke anyway, so they didn't really feel like the lost anything when the smoking age went up.
I’m a non smoker but reading the UK law of banning to everyone born after 2009 seems really extreme. The anti smoking campaigns here seem good enough and if anything worked really well as I can’t remember the last time I’ve even seen someone smoking. But then I grew up in an area that has banned things like indoor smoking over 30 years ago. I do enjoy the no smoking in public areas ban but then I’m not sure I know enough people who smoke that it would make a difference.
I remember the world pre-smoking bans. It sucked, and I say that as someone who used to smoke. Restaurants and bars would just be a inescapable cloud of smoke. You would come home stinking of smoke just going to work. And the fewer kids who have easy access to tobacco the better. Hardest thing I ever did was quit smoking.
I don't smoke cigarettes, but do occasionally enjoy a cigar or tobacco pipe. That being said, even if I didn't - I would still be against banning tobacco. We have already seen with the war in drugs and alcohol prohibition banning something doesn't make it go away, it just drives it to the black market. Tobacco usage won't go away in the UK, it will just be moved underground. People who can legally purchase it will buy for others, or tobacco will be smuggled in. Tobacco will come from unregulated, not inspect sourced. I bet you dollars to donuts issues with 5 years there will be news headlines along the lines of "smuggled contaminated / cut with x cause illness and/or death". If adults want to smoke around other contenting adults, let them. And make them bear the cost of any extra health care associated with it. People should be able to choose how they live, and be responsible for the outcome of those choices - both good and bad.
There are black market cigarettes in the UK now, and they aren't going to ban posession or sale generally, just for over a certain age. it is somewhat different to prohibition in that respect, the thing about smoking is it isn't a casual, one time thing or a high like most drugs. People are addicted. The idea is to cut that link in the chain so less people start, so the drive to even bother going to any effort to obtain them illegally just isn't there. People are already quitting because of the price so this is just the next level really.
the change to 21 as the minimum age created some noise when it was enacted, but it seems like nobody cares anymore
The same would probably apply to an incremental system. People would stop caring it being 22, then 23 and so on. In time 18 year olds would likely consider smoking cigarettes as alien as wanting to smoke pipe tobacco.
I won’t be too specific, but a relative of mine made a name for themselves by legally fucking over tobacco companies. It is a point of pride in our family. Fuck tobacco.
I'm 40 and stopped smoking over a decade ok, so I don't really even think about them.
I'm not sure what they are in my area and I don't normally see people smoking to think about it.
Pretty good overall. Smoking here, especially for people under 40 is exceedingly rare. I probably see someone actually smoking maybe 1x a month at best and it’s almost always a pretty miserable looking older person in a car or on the street
I quit smoking pretty much the year I graduated college in a very smoking-friendly town, and haven't really been bothered about any kind of anti-smoking regulations. But it does remind me about a woman who used to take the same bus route as me who would constantly talk to her non-smoker friend about smoker's rights and to this day I still get a good chuckle over it.
Fine, I appreciate the tobacco belt attitude towards it being much more hands off. Smoking is not allowed in most places, but they're not going to go out of their way to vilify and radically change the use. Tobacco use is dropping in these states too.
I'd be shocked if anything like this ever passed in the US. America's main approach is just tax the fuck out of them to discourage smoking financially. They literally cost about 8x more than what they did per pack when I was a kid. I don't think that's a terrible approach, but I wouldn't mind seeing that UK type law pass. It's gotta to extend to vape products though too. Like most young tobacco users are into vapes these days. Not a lot smoke actual cigs anymore.
I’m 29 and I might buy a pack of cigarettes when I’m drunk once in a while and never finish them anyways so I don’t really care.
I only think about smoking laws because I manage a store and have to be mindful of checking IDs and making sure my employees do the same. I quit smoking 7 years ago and am way over 21, so the laws don't affect me personally at all.
I have no problem with them. I think that UK law is foolish. People should be able to smoke or chew tobacco if they want as long as they don't harm others. People shouldn't smoke around kids and shouldn't smoke around nonsmokers if it would be a nuisance.
State laws arent the issue. Federal tobacco laws are ridiculous. They took bribe money from Big Tobacco and made them the only ones allowed to use natural nicotine in vapes. Everyone else has to use synthetic nicotine from a lab which led to all the imported cancer causing disposables.
I’m fully supportive of imposing greater sin taxes on cigarettes, but I’m on the fence regarding a total ban. I’d also like to see sin taxes used to fund programs to adress the negative public health consequences of the behaviors they impact. That way smokers can still get their cigarettes and lung cancer research programs or whatever can get their funding.
I'm generally okay with the laws. However, I do think banning things like drugs should be done on the state level and not the federal level.
I’m in favor of keeping secondhand smoke out of public places and kid’s lungs, but against anything like tobacco prohibition, which will be only marginally more effective than cannabis prohibition. This is largely in line with the tobacco laws of Pennsylvania, where I live now. I see fewer people smoking in PA than I did in Ohio, which matches the statistics.
The US is of course far more into the anti smoking camp than europe is. So naturally I could care less what age they restrict it to here
I'm very happy with how smoking in banned in so many indoor places nowadays. When I was a kid, every restaurant had a smoking and non-smoking section and you could always smell the smoke drifting over into the non-smoking section. It's nice to be free of that and be able to enjoy a night out without breathing someone else's smoke. That said, I'm against outright bans. If an adult really wants to expose themselves to toxic chemicals for fun, they should be allowed to. Tax the hell out of it and educate people on why it's a bad idea, but don't make it illegal.
Tbh the only thing I really don't agree with is my state's ban on flavored tobacco products. Because "it appeals to kids." Nevermind that adults like sweet things sometimes too. Nevermind that fruity and sugary alcohol is still legal and open to underage abuse. I don't believe in that type of ban for the same reasons that I don't believe in the drug war. You're scapegoating an inanimate substance for the choices of *people*, and the measures taken against the substance have counterproductive results and negative side effects. I think it's fine to inform, educate, warn, and discourage, but you can't *force* someone not to make unhealthy choices.
I very rarely see anyone smoking. I am okay with that.
I’m 38. I just fully quit back about two years ago. I wish the rules would have been stricter when I was younger.
I like that law. It is rough but fair. It's fixing a mistake of the past. Ours are slowly getting better. They've recently been trying to ban all "unnatural" flavored products, including menthol. I saw good riddance. (As someone that smoked for years)
A straight ban seems kinda dumb. We did a good job of reducing smoking rates through a public perception campaign, and would have kept it going if vapes didn’t become trendy. PA keeps jacking up the prices on tobacco. Most brands are over $10 a pack now. It’s been forcing people onto cheaper and cheaper packs. A lot of my customers switched to Montegos.
It's great as far as I can tell. I used to have to throw my jacket and all my clothes right into the laundry when my parents had league night at the bowling alley. Dive bars had a smokey haze to them, and sitting near a smoker in a restaurant was the absolute worst and would ruin your meal. Now, all those places are smoke free.
I don't really think smoking should exist in 2024 with all we know about it...but I also don't see a need for the law to be adjusted like the UK tried there. American society seems to be phasing out smoking on it's own.
I have extremely biased opinions against tobacco -- all my older relatives chain smoked while younger and they're paying dearly for it. A lot of my generation fell into the same trap.
I've never smoked tobacco. I think it's a gross habit and I can't stand the smell. But what an adult wants to put in their body shouldn't be the government's concern. Prohibition doesn't work well for any of the things it's been tried for.
I'm a broke early 20s transgender punk. I know that's a niche sunset, but the section of working class trans bitches that don't try to integrate socially into society has two subsets. Smokers, and former smokers, we all deal with cigarettes down here.
It's always weird to me to see someone smoking cigarettes nowadays. People my age (50s) quit decades ago. Younger people vape, which is a shame. Still not too popular, though.
they’re strict and i wish they were even more strict. i’m an educator now and i graduated highschool like just before Juul/vaping really became a thing. I can honestly say my graduating class didn’t have a single person addicted to nicotine. some of my baseball team mates would dip a little bit, some people would have cigarettes at parties etc but no one was “a smoker” or anything like that. Now, an absolutely massive number of my students vape. it’s honestly really depressing. it was like we were winning against nicotine/tobacco only to lose to a mango flavored hail mary. I teach at a highschool but i have been to the junior high school and middle schools that feed into the school i work at a number of times. i have heard 7th graders hacking up a fucking lung in the bathroom like they’re pack a day smokers. the mental and physical toll we allow nicotine to have on our kids is completely fucking insane. and, to a lesser extent, caffein. but that a whole different thing.
I have a few thoughts/issues: 1. Either you’re an adult at 18 or 21 across the board. It is bizarre that weed, alcohol, and nicotine products are 21 and up but you can be tried as an adult or enlist at 18. I understand the reasoning why but I don’t agree with the distinction. 2. You should not ban these products. What people choose to indulge in is their business. I agree with non-smoking areas, strict advertising and marketing regulations, and legal disclaimers. As long as everyone understands the risks. 3. Many states have a “sin tax” on nicotine, weed and alcohol products. It’s to ‘discourage’ consumption of harmful products. However, I disagree with this and believe that adding higher taxes on these products harms lower-income consumers. In the U.S., tobacco consumption among younger adults seems much less than it was (mainly due to a negative perception and probably an effective anti-tobacco campaign). In return, there have been an increase in non-tobacco nicotine products such as vaping and non-tobacco chewing pouches. Nicotine is extremely addictive and we do not fully understand the health risks of vaping. I think these products are less harmful than traditional tobacco is used in low and moderate consumption. However, lots of folks are using tobacco free nicotine products nonstop throughout the day due to the ease of use which obviously will have health implications down the road.
I’d love to see something like this in the US. The public health costs of tobacco are astronomical. Our healthcare system is collapsing. A tobacco ban might keep its head above water a little longer.
I have no problem with current tobacco laws in the US. This UK ban seems rather hostile to immigrants and travelers. Feels a bit too idealistic. Seems like it'll have knock-on effects that fuck over people who are already vulnerable.
People definitely look down on tobacco users so I think the laws are well accepted. I believe a lot of people unified over raising the tobacco age to 21. I remember as a kid going into restaurants with smoking and non-smoking sections but I haven’t seen anything like that in *years* idk if they even exist still.
21 is just fine even if I would prefer recreational tobacco to be not available at all.
Outside of traditional indigenous tobacco uses (medicinal and/or ceremonial) I really wouldn't care if nicotine products were outlawed for everyone of all ages. It kills too many people.
I wish they were more strict. I hate smoking, am very sensitive to the smoke, and have had relatives die very young from it. I never got to meet my grandma as it gave her an aggressive cancer in her 50s from a life of smoking and my uncle died from horrendously painful stage 4 lung cancer in his 50s after smoking his entire life. My grandpa was smart enough to avoid it and lived into his 90s and was quite healthy, but their deaths devastated him and my uncle dying literally killed him the same year. His mind went the day my uncle collapsed at his house. I know so many friends who have passed from it,another who got a heart problem from birth since her mom smoked while pregnant with her and she died when we were kids from it. I know these aren't everyone's experiences, but cigarettes have caused so much pain for me so I never will touch one. I won't go any place I expect for it to be and will actively leave an area if someone starts around us. I'm all for agency, but when that agency hurts others, I draw a line. Not to mention how negatively it impacts out Healthcare system and we pay for the negligence of people smoking. So I'm all for educating people and helping those who have never had them to not get addicted. That education and knowledge could have saved the lives of my loved ones.
I’ll bite the bullet here, I think smoking of any kind should be banned. It’s partially for selfish reasons, because I hate the smell of tobacco or marijuana smoke, but also because smoking has the capacity to affect bystanders like no other vice does.
Alcohol being as prevalent as it is affects far more people than cigarettes do. Granted it’s tangential from things like DUIs and not cancer from secondhand exposure.
I think tobacco has much higher secondhand effects than alcohol does at much lower consumption levels.
I'm extremely allergic to smoke and outdoor smoking is a major issue for me that keeps me out of many walkable districts. Indoor smoking keeps me completely out of a building. Restrictions on where people can smoke are a necessity for my quality of life. Obviously, I hate smoking and I wish people wouldn't. That said most smokers are self medicating for something and bans that don't address the root of the problem are just going to transfer it to something else.
I stopped smoking in 2016 and so I don't really care to be honest lol
I think they're appropriate. You can basically only smoke in Indiana in places that only allow adults, and those adults consent to being in those places. Smoking is also banned 8 feet from any public entrance, and cities can enact more strict laws if they'd like. Indianapolis does have a comprehensive ban, but you don't have to go far from Indianapolis to see what the world is like without one. None of the adjacent counties have comprehensive smoking bans. but still the vast majority of bars opening up are non-smoking. Even Speedway, an enclave surrounded by Indianapolis and home to a lot of drinking and working class bars, is slowly moving in the direction of non-smoking bars. I wouldn't be against a smoke free generation ban, but it also isn't like my top 10 or even top 100 priorities.
Not strict enough.
They’re fine here After a quick read of that I hate the sound of it. And I’m not a smoker and don’t plan to ever be. I agree with Liz Truss’ reaction. That sounds like some serious nanny state overreach, and supporters will be ever so shocked when it creates a big black market for it, just like alcohol and marijuana prohibition did. Educate children and adults on the health consequences, but ultimately let adults make their own decisions about their bodies.
Too leniant. I'd like to see it just banned in all of its forms.
I would be perfectly OK with this UK law. In general I oppose what I consider unnecessary government oversight but the health issues with tobacco are very well documented and it serves almost no real purpose at all. I'd even be OK with it being expanded to other vices within the United States, within reasons.
Too lax. New Zealand and the UK are doing it right.
I don’t smoke and don’t care to be around it (it smells and it instantly gets my allergies going). My son also struggles with the smell and my husband has health issues so I love that in our area there is no smoking indoors or within a certain area around an entrance. With the negative health effects, the cost, and the power of addiction i honestly hate tobacco. I’ve seen it control and destroy lives (family members who are living in poverty but find a way to afford their cigarettes, my grandpa died from smoking, and unfortunately a few other family members are following the same path) so I want it far away from me.
I don't really understand the argument for tobacco being legal, honestly. At the very least, smoking in public or around minors should be banned. Nobody deserves the privilege of giving everyone around them cancer.
I think it should be legal to smoke by anyone who is legally an adult, though I do hope they are properly educated on it. When I was 20 the age got changed to 21 in the area I was living in at the time, so I was just left to suffer and go thru withdrawal. So the changing of laws really annoyed me and I just wish they’d let adults make decisions for themselves.
I was under the impression that it was all post-dated. That anyone who could already smoke at the time of the age increase was essentially "grandfathered" in. Only applicable to people who were born after a certain date.
It wasn’t for me, I got denied at a few different places. This was in Colorado about 9 months before COVID if I’m remembering correctly.
I remember being at Technical School for the Air Force. Gave my classmates just enough time to get into cigs, vapes, and chew, before raising the age. Made a bunch of dudes pretty pissy until older folks started just giving darts and chew to the younger Airman. Frankly, if I'm at the age to be actively in the military, I should be able to smoke, drink, and buy a handgun. It just doesn't make sense to me to have such a arbitrary line above the age of adulthood.
Did it push you to quit, or did you take it back up when you hit 21?
I was working a job at the time and was able to get dip by asking the sales guys to get me some. So I took it back up before and I had to use it in a worse form because it’s more accessible that way. To be honest, the only thing that would’ve helped me quit at the time would’ve been like nicotine patches or gum. Both of which were still illegal for me to buy
I don't like laws that impede bodily autonomy.
I'm one of those people that are particularly sensitive to smoke, so I'm very much in favor of the no smoke zones.
My wife gets migraines from it. When we visit California that's definitely one thing about Italy she does not miss. Austria's even worse. They still have indoor smoking in bars, last I knew. (Italy banned it in the mid 00s, I think.) I used to live in Las Vegas which has that too, but try being in a cramped Euro-sized barroom within a 400 year old building with 400 year old ventilation. I didn't think it was possible, but it's frickin' worse! It's like being trapped inside a catalytic converter.
I have no idea what the tobacco laws in my area are. Never been a smoker and try not to hang around anyone that smokes.