As late as the 9th century, smoking has been a thing we humans have been doing. However, in those early times, they may not have been in the more common “wrapped” form. Most commonly from a reed or tube. As time has gone on the tobacco consumption and its shape and method of smoking have changed to what we now know to be the cigarette.

The widespread smoking of cigarettes in the Western world is largely a 20th-century phenomenon yet we knew of the deadly related health risk of smoking as early as the 19th century. German doctors were the first to identify the link between smoking and lung cancer.

The American government in fact used to include cigarettes in military rations and stopped in 1975.

1975 seems way too long to make its first effort to reduce tobacco use considering all the horrible proven health effects of smoking.

Seriously United States, you took over 150 years to make any effort? You then made it mandatory for “text warnings” relating to health effects. You have, for the most part, done nothing more than making tobacco sales to anyone under 18 illegal April 1, 1998, while still legally allowing parents and guardians to give cigarettes to minors, but actual sales to minors are prohibited.

I see some reasoning in that law if by nothing else than you giving rights between a minor and their parents to make a decision about tobacco use. While obviously, most parents would never be ok with there kid smoking you still allowed them a glimmer of “freedom to choose” that you so commonly claim America is all about.

Why the leniency? Does it have something to do with this statement made by Senator Mitch McConnell?

“Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, on Monday, I introduced legislation to raise the national minimum age for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21. I walked through the long history of our Nation’s complicated relationship with this major cash crop.”

That was a statement made May 22, 2019 in regards to S. 1541 in efforts to increase the age to 21 to purchase tobacco products. As stated in the quote, “cash crop”. Your only doing this for the loss of revenue from vape products.

As stated by many other policymakers, the intent or “hoped for outcome” of increasing this age is to limit the potential for upper high school students knowing someone 18 years old who can purchase tobacco products for them. I guess the concept is great and has good intentions but it still begs for the question, why has enforcement for underage smoking gone almost non-exsistant? Im sure if law enforcement started treating it like the crime it is and the courts start issuing the full extent of the law in punishment then you would see probably very little underage smoking.

Underage smoking is considered a second degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. However, anyone convicted of the crime twice or more within a year is guilty of a first degree misdemeanor, with punishments of up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

I mean come on! Florida is arresting people for “twerking” in public and you cant at minimum give a fine to a kid smoking or “vaping”? Is it only a social thing? I understand you look good in the eyes of your constituents and all when you present and pass laws they have been begging you for but that’s 100% for the visual. Most people don’t look much further than the news for information and the majority of those people are 35+ years old. Most younger people get their so-called news from the likes of Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Which, are three major social networks that are literally banning anyone with a conservative view that goes against there primarily democratic and leftist agendas.

Politics has long been about twisting facts to fit better for personal narratives but when it comes to things that are literally saving peoples lives and have been medically and scientifically proven to help and are better and safer alternatives to tobacco usage should not become part of your money grabbing tactics. Obstructing an adult from choosing to vape simply because you want to use “underage usage” as some new thing is dirty and hurts millions of users of vape products. Underage usage of tobacco what 5 times higher when vaping products didn’t even exist but now all the sudden its a problem that you want to do something about.

Kids who break the law of tobacco usage under the age of 18 are not going to care about continuing to break the law of being under 21!

You are only hurting those who need access to the only product that got them off smoking. Start actually punishing the current underage users and you will see major decreases of usage from minors.