[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Who decided that 21 was the age to purchase alcohol and now tobacco, and pretty soon other adult-related activities? What constitutes adulthood? For the people who are 18-20, what are they going do?

[VTenigma]

Sounds like my birth state must have all the other problems fixed.

[SaxxonWoods]

They are going to do whatever they want, just like we did before turning 21.

[alloysteel]

“Free, white and 21” used to be the measure of maturity in this country, though that phrase has been rendered moot in recent years.

No longer politically correct, doncha know.

[fr_freak]

More abject stupidity. A kid can vote at 18 but can't buy beer or cigarettes until he is 21. If he is not responsible or mature enough to buy those things, he sure as hell shouldn't be voting.

This is all just do-gooder virtue-signalling. No kid turns 18 and says "Yay! Now I can buy cigarettes!" Most kids who smoke start when they are younger than 18. Same with alcohol. In fact, I can't see a reason why this sort of age-limited thing doesn't run afoul of the Equal Protection clause. Age discrimination and what-not.

[Impala64ssa]

I remember when NJ was one of the first states to raise the details drinking age to 21. On any Friday or Saturday night every bar and liquor store in Rockland County, just across the state line was jammed with cars with NJ plates.

[piytar]

Lol. What stupidity.

In high school, I hung out with the nerds (of which I was one and still am), the popular gals, the jocks, and the heads. The heads mostly hung out in the back of the school with (of all people) the local cop assigned to the school. Guess who gave me my first smoke at age 16? Yup, the cop. (He did not care about little things like that, just student safety.)

[mass55th]

I remember when you had to be 21 to vote, and 18 to drink.

[trisham]

I’m glad to hear that this is the most pressing issue in New Jersey.

[SandRat]

It’s been 25 for at least the last 15 hearts in AZ

[heights]

Yeah, that’s going to work. Why not make the age of getting to first base 19?

[Reno89519]

If tobacco is universally bad, obvious, just ban it outright. Placing 22 year old age limit on anything, yet giving vote at 18 and military service at 17/18, is not right.

[353FMG]

I wonder what Lucky Strike and the Greatest Generation think of this decision.

[Bernard]

It’s always nice to have some fat guy from Joisy lecture the public on good health habits. Did this statement of wisdom come from a closed beach, or the regular office?

[Pinkbell]

I don’t understand why people even start smoking now with the health risks known, but this seems like a waste to me. I get it with alcohol because alcohol is mind altering - you don’t want 18 year old high school students buying alcohol.

[TigersEye]

...we are giving young people more time to develop a maturity and better understanding of how dangerous smoking can be...

Not as dangerous as morbid obesity. Got any laws to curb that behavior, Cristie Creme?

[momincombatboots]

The same folks who decides twelve year Olds could cut off body parts if they feel like they are not male or female as defined by their chromosomes.

[Alberta's Child]

I must have been living under a rock. I thought they raised the smoking age to 21 years ago.

[Psalm 144]

It has always infuriated me that one can be conscripted for war and not able to buy a beer, and now cigarettes.