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Smoking age should rise from 18, by one year every year - Rishi Sunak (www.bbc.com)

submitted 1 year ago by zephyreks@lemmy.ml to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml

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[-] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Why have laws against drunk driving or speeding? You cannot stop people from doing things, no matter how many words you put on paper.

[-] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

It's true, you can't stop people from doing what they want to do with laws, but smoking doesn't smear a child down the street for everyone to see. What a terrible comparison

[-] Bytemeister@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Fine, why have laws against littering, or smoking in public buildings, or jaywalking, or embezzlement? People are just going to do those things anyway, no matter what is written on paper.

We have laws to provide an enforcement mechanism for behavior that is unacceptable in our society. You're right, in that laws written on paper can be ignored, but you do so at a risk of the penalties laid out in the law. Your argument essentially invalidates the purpose and effectiveness of every law. Clearly, we have laws and they work, so your argument is frivolous and empty.

[-] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago

Why not just ban Marijuana again...

[-] Bytemeister@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago

Because the social perception of marijuana use has changed? You're not really keeping up with the conversation here...

[-] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago

I am, but it will always go back to the same. You want big daddy to protect you from others doing harm to themselves, whereas I see people being able to police themselves and if they screw up it's their problem.

[-] Bytemeister@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

If only smoking harmed just the user, but secondhand smoke kills children daily in the US. https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/smoking-facts/health-effects/secondhand-smoke

It's also been found that 3rd-hand smoke can be just as dangerous a secondhand smoke. Not to mention that smoking smells awful and makes indoor and outdoor public places unpleasant. Smokers also routinely fail to dispose of cigarettes properly, leading to unsightly and unhealthy toxic litter, and causes multiple uncontrolled forest/wildfires every year.

You need to throw out your preconceived notions about smoking and the purpose of laws, they are not compatible with reality.