Seems silly. Are people meant to know bettervif they are3 years older?
As one might expect, these laws are pretty much arbitrary, and are changed due to political wind.
Isn't that why the US reduced the voting age to 18? Because the enlistment age was 18 and people (men, really) could die for their country but were not allowed to vote.
I gather there is a difference, yes. And if one is going to draw a line, it has to be somewhere.
Well, of course a line has to be somewhere. I think that's some sort of tautology.
This was indeed changed due to Viet Nam protests and the drafting of 18 year olds at the time, though the article below on the 26th Amendment says arguments for this were also made on WWII.
"Eve of Destruction" was one of the most popular songs of 1965 (I was age 8, heard it on the radio and found it quite scary) and it surely had its influence - the line is "You're old enough to kill, but not for votin':"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfZVu0alU0I
The voting age (in US Federal elections) was change from 21 to 18 in 1971:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-sixth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution
Around that time most States in the US lowered their drinking age to 18:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._history_of_alcohol_minimum_purchase_age_by_state
But then immediately after this 1984 law regarding Federal Highway Funds (from the article, "a state with a minimum age below 21 would be subjected to a ten percent decrease in its annual federal highway apportionment"), states raised their drinking age back to 21:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Minimum_Drinking_Age_Act
QFT
This is like a textbook example of political creep. A slow erosion of individual liberties.
This "what is an adult" thing involving laws is bizarre. The 26th Amendment is solely about voting in Federal elections, but as I recall it effectively made the "legal age of adulthood" where you could sign legal contracts, take others to court and be taken to court also change to 18. I presume it was the States that changed all that in response to the Amendment passing. Maybe someone else could research that.
But it's certainly inconsistent that one can do these legal things as a legal adult at 18, yet not legally buy a beverage/substance that other adults can buy. I guess not even the ACLU wants to go up against a law involving Federal Highway Funds.
Where are the laws raising the price and taxes on cigars? Oh, that's right, rich people smoke cigars, so lets tax what the poor people smoke.
?????
Of the "rich people" I've known, I only recall one who smoked cigars. I smoked Swisher Sweets for a little while in college, and I was definitely NOT rich.
But other than these two anecdotes, maybe we need some real data on rates of cigar smoking vs. wealth and vs. income. If you haven't seen the stickies for P&CE, it's well in line to ask for data supporting any claim made here, and we often do that.
Thank you.
As an aside, I don't know why they haven't come out with a good tasting nicotine gum? Or a beverage...Ciggy Pop...All the nicotine you crave without the carcinogens, fire hazard or second hand smoke issues.
I can imagine the tobacco companies would stomp flat any such idea (and likely have done so) by whatever legal (and perhaps other) means available to them. Current nicotine gum and patches only get by because they're prescription-only and considered medicine.
And isn't nicotine a fairly powerful, as in dangerous, drug? Would a substantially larger dose than a heavy smoker intakes be dangerous? I recall it increases heart rate, though perhaps other things in cigarette smoke contribute to that as well.
There were a lot of "legitimate" careers built on prohibition too.
And a whole industry, as well: NASCAR.
