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this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2023
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This law always felt weird to me, the idea that one adult would be legally allowed to smoke cigarettes, but another adult a day younger would be unable to.
They would be unable to buy cigarettes, there would be no law against smoking them. That’s an important difference.
So how would you propose we end the sale of tobacco?
Tax it more, and make it available for sale only in specialist retailers, would be a great way to dramatically decrease the amount sold.
I don't think ending the sale altogether is worthwhile actually, this will merely create a black market for the product.
Really? It was a law I thought of myself as a kid because it just seemed logical and makes way more sense than sudden prohibition.
So when it became law I was pleased, because I don't see smoking as a genuine choice for addicts. I used to live next to someone who was literally dying of emphysemia and she couldn't give up smoking, and her self-hate and despair made a big impression on me.
It's less stark but health changes always have an arbitrary cut off, there is always a last person to get/first person to not get. E.g last person to get old style knee replacement, first person to get new style.