Should Iowa Smoking Age Be 18 Or 21?

         On December 20, 2019, The minimum age a person could purchase tobacco products in Iowa, was raised from 18 to 21. Many hoped that raising this would ensure that older high school students wouldn't be able to provide tobacco products for their younger friends. 90 percent of American smokers reported that they began smoking before the age of 18. People hoped that raising this would help prevent young people from being introduced to tobacco products altogether. The National Academy of Medicine reported that 18-20 is the critical period when many smokers move from experimental smoking to regular, daily use.They reported that 46 percent of people become regular everyday smokers before the age of 18.  Another reason for it to be raised was overall health. According to the CDC 480,000 deaths occur annually as a result of smoking. 

          Some individuals were upset with the age being raised. Many that were 18 and already everyday smokers became upset when they could no longer purchase nicotine products. Many believe that it should have stayed at 18 because that is the age of a legal adult and people should be able to make their own decisions about their bodies. Some use the argument that if Americans can serve their country at 18 shouldn't they be able to smoke a cigarette? 

          I feel that raising the smoking age to 21 was a good decision. I think smoking has a lot of negative effects on a lot of people and whatever we can do to prevent it from becoming more popular is a good thing. 

 

Do you think the smoking age should be 18? Explain why/why not.10865269086?profile=RESIZE_400x

 Do you think the smoking age should be 21? Explain why/why not. 

 Should smoking be banned altogether?

 

Sources

https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/what-we-do/us/sale-age-21 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulhsieh/2015/03/30/smoking-is-bad/?sh=413749978a90

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/tobacco_ 

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  • I feel that it was a good decision to raise the age. Smoking is not good for your health and I feel people are ruining their bodies when they smoke. I feel smoking should be banned but gradually because it would be hard to just stop out of no where.

    • I agree smoking is bad and ruins peoples bodies.

  • I think that the smoking age should be at 21 and not 18 because smoking can cause a lot of diseases and death to those who smoke, and raising the age to 21 can help prevent that more. I feel that the smoking should be banned altogether because of the bad things that come from, like lung cancer and heart disease.

    • Thanks for commenting. I agree with a lot of what you said. Smoking does cause a lot of diseases/ death. I agree with the opinion that it should be banned. 

  • In my opinion, I believe that the smoking age should be 21. I think this because this could prevent people from getting addicted to smoking when they are still young adults. I feel that people are still developing at age 18, so allowing them to smoke later would be beneficial. Although I believe this, I do not think that smoking should be banned. This is because many people know what decision they are making and choose to smoke, so we shouldn't disallow them to have it.

    • I like what you said about how people aren't done developing at age 18 so its good to delay it. 

  • I think they should keep the age of smoking to 21. It is proven that smoking is bad for the body and can cause cancer and other bad things. If the age limit was 18 I think some people would make it worse in the community and it can cause more people to do it.

    • Thanks for commenting. I  agree with you. If it was 18 again I think that could cause some issues. 

  • I think that the smoking age should be 21 because the body is still developing when you're 18. It is better to let harmful stuff in your body when you are older than younger because if you do it when your body is still developing you can really harm yourself. 

    • Hi Dixi, thanks for commenting. I agree that the body is still developing so its smart to wait till 21. 

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