Should NJ raise the smoking age to 21? – Poll
You may be a legal adult at 18, but if you live in a place like Rutherford, New Jersey, you still can't buy nicotine products.
Rutherford banned the sale of tobacco and other products like electronic cigarettes this week in an attempt to hinder cancer in the next generation. This marks the eighth town in the state to pass an ordinance like this in less than a year. Meanwhile, smoking is on the rise among teens and young adults in a variety of formats, from cigars to hookah and vaporizers.
People who sell tobacco products to anyone under 21 in Rutherford now face minimum fines of $250 for a first violation, $500 for a second violation and $1,000 for the third and each subsequent violation.
Sure, smoking is bad for you, but isn't one of America's hallmarks the freedom to choose what you want to do with your life? And what are the chances that this law will eradicate cancer when young people already violate existing age restrictions? Also, if only a few locales are changing the smoking age, won't people just go elsewhere to buy tobacco products?
Tell us what you think in the poll and comments section below.