In America, why is the smoking age 18 and the drinking age is 21 when theoretically tobacco is in some ways more harmful than alcohol?
by 
Pontiac25
ANSWERS: 11
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i never understood that either. you can drive and have sex at 16 in the states but not smoke untill your 18? thats crazy!
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The same reason you can die for your country at 18 but can't have a drink......nobody knows.......
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I don't know. All countries have laws that don't make a whole lot of sense. Every law can't be perfect because people aren't perfect and the world isn't perfect.
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as it suits with the theme dont drink and drive.. probably u would rather more agree with dont smoke and drive? :)
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Because drinking alcohol alters brain function, behavior, and reflexes. It has nothing to do with potential harm to the user, but to others. The rationale for the 21 age limit is to allow only more mature persons to use such a substance.
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Egotistical meddling by government officials trying to decide what is in our best interest instead of considering what is correct for a free people. . A one-size-fits-all adult age is the only proper way to treat...adults. It is ludicrous to make an eighteen year old an adult but to deny him the ability to drink. It is just plain dirty to claim that a sixteen-year-old is incapable of signing contracts - except if he and his parents agree he should go into the military. . Eighteen works for me. If people want to demand a high school diploma too I'm fine with that. . Note, btw, that I have no problem letting sixteen-year-olds drive. . They need the practice and it's nicely set up where they can be legally 'grounded' for two years if they can't behave. . You're eighteen. Welcome to the real world.
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Theoretically, marijauna is less harmful than both of those substances, but it's illegal...go fig...I think there should be only one age limit...buying tobacco and pornography should be up'ed to 19, while buying alchohol should be dropped to 19...that goes for joining the military as well...or better yet, a good compromise would be to make every age limit there is, set at 18 or 19.
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Because drinking can kill someone else, smoking only kills you, unless you start a fire...
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Seems to me it's because the Fed government and the State governments have chosen to ignore the Constitution. The 14th amendment is supposed to guarantee that no citizen be deprived of his rights, except ex-Confederates, that is. 18 is the legal age of citizenship, but you can't have your equal rights anyway.
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The government has no real interest in explaining the logic of a particular law. The truth is, most laws exist to assert the authority of the government. They are only interested in you acknowledging that they have power over you. The substance of the law is unimportant. Because bottom line is, breaking any law that is set before you is against the law. It is a direct contempt violation of those who rule the land. If everybody obeyed the laws to the letter, they could not flex their authoritative muscle and would therefore create laws that would be impossible to keep. No government wants a country full of law abiding citizens because there wouldn't be any gain, monetary or otherwise in that.
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Because the government is illogical
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