Is NJ trying to change the legal age of adulthood to 21?

For all the talk of bunches of joy and the blessings children are it sure seems plenty of folks don’t want them nearby. Remember when Nettie’s House of Spaghetti in Tinton Falls changed their policy earlier this year and banned kids under 10?

Of course, that’s a private business. As is Bally’s Atlantic City hotel and casino which just banned any guests under 21 from using their pool or fitness facilities.

“Due to customer demand, Bally’s Pool & Fitness will be available to ADULTS ONLY (21+),” the casino reported on Instagram.

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They say they had complaints. I believe them. It’s a business looking to follow best practices for its bottom line.

But what about when it’s a local government or a state law? How about Seaside Heights banning anyone under 21 from renting rooms during prom season? That’s not businesses doing it. In fact plenty of businesses are complaining about it.

Or the long-standing state law on gambling that applies to Bally’s when they walk downstairs and into the casino. You must be 21 to gamble.

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You’re legally an adult at 18. You can join the military and defend our nation with your life. That gamble the government is fine with. You can marry at 18. You can vote at 18. Be criminally charged as an adult at 18. So you’re an adult at 18 then, right?

Well hold on. You can marry and vote and die for your country at 18, but you can’t purchase cigarettes until you’re 21 in New Jersey. Same for alcohol. Same for vape products.

So what’s the standard here? When exactly are you an adult with both the rights but also the responsibilities that come with it? It feels more and more that society is deciding 18 is no longer really it. When we passed legalization of recreational marijuana, we decided that adulthood begins at 21.

(Photo by Elsa Olofsson on Unsplash)

Science plays a part in this. Research now shows a young person’s brain isn’t fully mature until age 25. Science shows adults make decisions using the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which uses good judgment and an understanding of long-term consequences. Younger people use the amygdala, the portion of the brain that responds with emotion.

So now what? Are the only true adults 25 or older? Are the rental car companies the only ones who’ve had it right all along in not renting to anyone under 26?

We should return to the standard that once was. 18 is adulthood. If that strikes you as irresponsible due to concerns of alcohol look up the Amethyst Initiative. And if you’re an older person looking at 19 and 20-year-olds as too immature these days, whose bubble wrapping and coddling do you think made them that way?

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Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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