And when I was 14, 15 it was perfectly legal for me to buy cigarettes, and for anyone to sell them to me.
The kids today are not giving the middle finger to the same authorities we were - it was because our parents were telling us "we couldn't." the authorities today's kids are doing it are the nannyists on the TV and in the schools that are telling them outright lies.
One thing that has not changed with kids, especially teens, they don't want to be treated as stupid by people that truly should know better.