McConnell introduces bill making the legal smoking age 21

[left-of-center2012]

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday introduced a bill to raise the federal age for purchasing tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to 21, increasing the chances that Congress will clear a significant smoking-related bill for the first time since a major tobacco control law was enacted a decade ago.

The bill comes amid growing concerns about the youth use of e-cigarettes, which reached record levels in 2018. That marked a troubling reversal of declines in smoking traditional cigarettes.

The logic behind increasing the smoking age to 21 is that high school students are likely to know someone who is 18 who can legally purchase tobacco, but they are less likely to have friends who are 21.

The bill would make it illegal under federal law for retailers to sell tobacco products to anyone under age 21, and would essentially require states to enact their own laws raising the tobacco-purchasing age to 21 or risk not getting federal substance abuse grants starting in fiscal year 2021. A growing number of state legislatures have already been moving in this direction, with six state laws going into effect in July and two more in 2020 and 2021, bringing the total to 14.

https://www.rollcall.com/news/congress/senate-majority-leader-mitch-mcconnell-introduces-bill-raise-federal-legal-smoking-age-21

[Me.]

1. Good Thing Tobacco Beohner Is No Longer Speaker

THe bill would never pass, it still may not

[berni_mccoy]

20. Boehner is into weed now. Not a joke.

He’s heavily invested in the marijuana industry... and the cigarette companies are just waiting to buy up all the independent shops if it is federally legalized. This is one step in that direction.

Can you imagine Mitch promoting a legalize weed bill? They will. And it will have huge support. And Mitch and John and other repukes will make millions while looking like political heroes.

[Me.]

21. ...

[Baconator]

2. Get the fuck out of here... (Not you OP)

I can join the Army and drive a $6,000,000 vehicle, kill people and be responsible for half a dozen lives but I can't smoke?

Christ...

[Stuart G]

3. Yep, that is all there is. Your one sentence says it all....no text.

[Mariana]

11. It was bound to happen, really.

They don't want to let you vape either, which is even more stupid.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

15. This Sailor is right with you on this.

You can "drive" a $13 billion dollar aircraft carrier - straight out of "A" school - but you can't smoke ?

Get the fuck out of here.

[OnlinePoker]

22. Or drink. n/t

[NCjack]

4. Maybe we will get lucky in an impeachment investigation and catch McConnell also. nt

[Nuggets]

5. I disagree with this reasoning.

“The logic behind increasing the smoking age to 21 is that high school students are likely to know someone who is 18 who can legally purchase tobacco, but they are less likely to have friends who are 21.”

How is it ok to take away the rights of a group of adults because they could buy cigarettes for minors?

I really don’t like this fight against tobacco use, vaping, cannabis use, whatever use, and the self righteous attempts of some people to parent others into living whatever healthy lifestyle they think is best for the world.
It’s a fight to force others to live to their satisfaction. It’s arrogant regardless of any well meaning intentions or personal horror stories that made these people think that taking away someone else’s choice to make the same decision is a wise idea.
If you want defiance by all means, pursue this course of action.
The kind of thing we ought to outlaw is toothpaste and toothbrushes. We’d have a brushing epidemic.

Here’s a better idea:

If you don’t want to smoke, drink, vape, good you go chase your fun and your dreams and stop trying to write law to prevent others from enjoying theirs.


If you want to live a healthy lifestyle go ahead
quit trying to nag, legislate sugary drink laws.

It’s fine to educate and make suggestions unless it’s all you talk about. Same as you would have others do with you.

[Different Drummer]

6. "It's arrogant regardless of any well meaning intentions..."

This.

[Mariana]

13. Remember when it was supposedly about cancer and secondhand smoke

that all these restrictions were necessary? Now, all these attempts to ban vaping make it perfectly clear that they were lying about that all along.

[JI7]

7. aren't people less likely to smoke these days ? how about doing something about guns ?

[Different Drummer]

9. "aren't people less likely to smoke these days ?"

In the U.S. at least these days, the number of smokers is much less than it used to be.

[Horse with no Name]

8. He is trying to erode the rights of 18 year olds

They will go for voting rights next.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

12. EXACTLY !!!!!

EXACTLY !!!!!

[Mariana]

16. This was inevitable from the time they raised the drinking age to 21.

Frankly, I'm very surprised it's taken as long as it has for them to try to further restrict what young adults are permitted to do.

[Horse with no Name]

24. Right now that block of millennials

Will vote Democratic.
He will move to disenfranchise them.

[Mariana]

25. I'm sure the R's would love that, but it would be much harder

that making it so they can't drink or smoke or vape. Amendment XXVI is very clear: The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

[Sneederbunk]

10. McConnelll does nothing without an ulterior motive.

[Blue_true]

18. That was what I was thinking with every reply that I read.

Mitch has an angle somewhere and it's likely to help rich tobacco farmers.

[912gdm]

29. yeah, this isn't some kind of public health thing for the youth... he could give a shit

he's up to something... forcing the house defeat it so he can say the dems don't care about health, and healthcare, and have been hypocrites.

or counting on the house to pass it, so his alt-right minions can say SEE the democrats don't care about freedom



I dunno, but this man is straight up slime and there is some screwed up long-game to this

[WhiskeyWulf]

14. That ought to go over well at home.

Kentucky is the second-largest tobacco-growing state.

[Goodheart]

17. Old enough to get shot up in Iran but not old enough to choose cigarettes

Yeah, that's perfectly fair.

/sarcasm

[Liberal In Texas]

19. The legal dying in a foreign war will remain 18, however. n/t

[Turin_C3PO]

23. What's in it for him?

[50 Shades Of Blue]

26. Fine by me.

[Raine]

33. Me too

I'm in favor of this..

[madamesilverspurs]

27. Really?

So he IS still capable of bringing bills to the floor.

Hmmmm…………


.

[rpannier]

28. There are at least two sizeable military bases in Kentucky (Campbell and Knox)

I wonder how this will fly with the soldiers stationed there (and their families)
Could be a congressional career ender in Georgia

[Rambling Man]

30. If nicotine addiction has such a tremendous cost in terms of health, social status

(nicotine addict as "pariah" ), regulatory concerns, etc., why aren't stop smoking aids (patches, lozenge, gum) given away for free?

In other words, if everyone is so AGAINST smoking, this seems like a simple way to nudge those who'd like to quit and join the anti-smoking Utopia?

I'd take a different view if there were no taxes on tobacco products whatsoever.

Government can spend some of their "take" from taxing tobacco to pay for this.

Probably wouldn't be a stretch to fine Big Tobacco some more, too.

If society has a compelling interest to stop smoking, then that same society should bear the cost of eradicating smoking from every angle possible.

Platitudes and moralizing don't cut it.

[912gdm]

32. you nailed it with one word.

why aren't stop smoking aids (patches, lozenge, gum) given away for ******free? *******

mcconnel is using addiction to gin up support for something

[sl8]

31. Cosponsored by Sen. Tim Caine (D-VA)

S.1541 — 116th Congress (2019-2020), at Congress.gov:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1541/cosponsors?overview=closed#tabs

Press release from Sen.Kaine:
https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/video-kaine-mcconnell-unveil-bipartisan-bill-to-raise-minimum-age-to-purchase-tobacco-to-21

Press release from Sen. McConnell:
https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=46799286-0BEF-4065-9E0A-FCD2F6C6DEFF

C-SPAN video coverage of both speeches:
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4798632/senators-mcconnell-kaine-introduce-bill-raising-tobacco-purchase-age-21