Less Freedom, Not More, OR “Excuse Me, Sir, But Do You Have a License for that Cigarette?”
For decades, people have been bemused by the fact that adults under the age of 21 can, in the United States, buy a lottery ticket, smoke tobacco, and even die for their country — but they can’t consume alcohol. Carefully noting this inequity, Oregon legislators have decided to rectify the situation by attempting to raise the legal smoking age to match the drinking age. Not only that, but one of the bill’s co-sponsors wants to make nicotine available by prescription only.
I’d like to say that I don’t think this has a chance of passing, but given the legislative successes that the anti-tobacco crowd has enjoyed of late, I think I’d be premature in doing so.
In related news, the Oregon Commentator will be holding its Second Annual Great American Smoke-In sometime during Spring Term (preferably when the weather gets a bit nicer). Watch this space and keep an eye on the magazine for details.
(via Radley Balko)
I’m happy that the legislation I “elected” is utilizing my hard-earned money for the greater good.
I agree with the argument that if you can die in the army and vote, you should be able to get piss drunk and blow chunks on your dorm carpets. You’d probably think differently if the school didn’t hire a cleaning lady, though.
On the other hand, who on God’s green earth likes to listen to that argument? It’s overused, and reading it gives me a hangover.
Why not flip it around? Why don’t we just go straight to the Supreme Court and ask them to raise the age of voting back to 21? And while we’re at it, the smoking age, the age to join the army, to have sex, everything.
Imagine a bunch of people trying to chain smoke, get every broad we see drunk and pregnant, murder terrorists, and govern ourselves all at the same time.
The way I see it, nothing much is particularly different than what I see everywhere in any niche of life, be it politics, education, bestial porn sites, etc.
I mean, we’re all a bunch of retarded kids anyway, even though a quarter of our life will be gone without being able to taste the fruit of “real life.”
Instead of criminalizing the most retardedly mundane daily acts in a person’s life, like lighting some acrid weed on fire and breathing it, why not instead spend the taxpayers’ money on things that might actually help people, like lowering the cost of my tuition?
I mean, I appreciate the help the legislature has already given me, like not having people smoking near me in a bar while I get belligerently drunk, pick fights I have no chance at winning, and publicly humiliate myself… because that’s healthy.
SOOO ridiculous.
I think they’re just going to start beheading smokers next.
You get the government you elect.
Congrats, Oregon. You elected a supermajority of dumbasses. Sucks to be y’all.
I saw this in The Register Guard today. It’s definitely uncalled for, but the article I read announced that Rep. Mitch Greenlick from Portland wants to push for prescriptions on all nicotine products in Oregon. My head almost exploded.
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/10982599-57/story.csp
If anything we should be lowering the drinking age to the smoking age…