Features Editor
At the age of 18, Americans are finally seen as adults. They are now free to serve in the military, walk into strip clubs, buy a lottery ticket and serve jury duty. Another privilege of turning 18 is the legal right to purchase cigarettes. However, this privilege will now be given only to those 21 years of age and up, at least in California.
The age increase should not concern me because I don’t smoke, however, it does make me think about the next thing that might be taken away.
The human experience is to live and experience different opportunities that life has to offer. Granted, smoking should not be one of those human experiences that people run after. However, if that’s the experience an individual wants to have then, they should be inclined to have it.
I don’t have a problem with 18-year-olds smoking as long as they are aware of the consequences and health risks that come with each wrapped stick of tobacco.
What I do mind is if they respect others and smoke in designated areas. Bakersfield has enough polluted air to suffocate the public, society doesn’t need second hand smoke adding to the mix.
Eighteen-year-olds smoking cigarettes is not the end of the world. There are worse things being done by average Americans every day. Driving cars pollute the air and kill people every year, taking showers wastes water, and a new study questions whether eating bacon can lead to cancer.
There are consequences to everything, but that doesn’t mean that we are going to stop driving cars or stop taking showers. We just need to be mindful.
Even though I can’t stand both the smell of smoke around me and the raising of the legal smoking age from 18 to 21, it may be in the best interest for 18 to 20-year-olds. Honestly, not smoking until 21 is probably the healthiest option.
Soon we’ll have to be 21 to drive because young drivers are unsafe, or 21 to use social media because as most already know a lot of shady things happen online.
Just a disclaimer, I am the same person who whined about an age limit being placed in parks and on trick-or-treating even though I don’t really utilize the parks or trick-or-treat.
I just dislike the fact that people are telling individuals they can’t do something because some random individual disapproves of it.
Smoking is a horrible habit but don’t censor the public from cigarettes that only builds more curiosity. Let the people decide what they want to do with their health and money.
