"Raising the legal age for purchasing tobacco products to 21 will deter many young people from becoming smokers, saving hundreds of thousands from dying prematurely from lung cancer, heart disease, stroke and emphysema, and their families the incomprehensible grief of losing loved ones to preventable diseases." As a leading cause of death for people all around the world, it seems reasonable to make tighter restrictions on smoking products. For Stephen A. Silver, professor at Emory University School of Law, this topic is very close to heart, and is certainly one he feels worth pushing for.
Cigarette smoking kills more than 480,000 Americans each year, including more than 41,000 nonsmokers who die from secondhand exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a son of both mother and father who died of smoking-related diseases, the need for a heightened legal age is definitely preferred. In order to deter young adults from smoking, many steps need to be taken- raising the legal age being one of the most important. Other methods can include raising taxes on tobacco products and increasing funding for antismoking programs, but the biggest impact comes from restricting those under 21 from purchasing products.
Many argue against this saying that is the legal age of an adult is 18, the ability to purchase tobacco products should remain at age 18. "Treat all adults equally" is the motto, and honestly a very good point. Raising the legal age takes away the privileges of people ages 18, 19, and 20 from purchasing tobacco products, which seems to almost go against the fact that they are "adults". All in all, when it comes to the general well-being of the country, if raising the legal age is what it takes to save the lives of even just a few, it is worth it.
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