NJ Mulls Hiking Legal Smoking Age to 21

CNS News ^ | 04.28.03

[Coleus]

NJ Mulls Hiking Legal Smoking Age to 21

By Jeff McKay CNSNews.com Correspondent April 25, 2003

(CNSNews.com) - When it comes to tobacco, New Jersey has been a leader at making it harder and costlier to smoke. Now, legislators want to raise the legal age for buying tobacco, a step that would make it the only state in the nation where you must be 21 to smoke.

The bill's primary sponsor, Assemblyman John McKeon (D-West Orange) believes this bill would benefit teenagers and be easier to enforce.

"The statistics are clear -- 95 percent of all smokers start before they are 21," said McKeon. "In terms of age, it is very hard to tell the difference between a person who is 16, 17 or 18. Making the age 21 would make enforcement easier."

The bill's co-sponsor, Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-Union), himself a restaurant owner who might lose profits under the ban on smoking in restaurants, said the ambiguity needs to be cleared up over who is an adult.

"The age for tobacco use should be 21, just like it is for alcohol," said Cryan. "We must consider the health of young people because of the damage smoking does to the body, as well as the long-term financial considerations because of the high cost of medical care for people who have cancer or emphysema."

Most states in the nation have set the legal age to smoke at 18 years old - including New Jersey - though Alaska, Alabama and Utah have raised the age to 19. New Jersey would be the only state in the nation to ban the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to people under the age of 21.

A 2001 state study showed that about one-third of New Jersey high school students use tobacco products.

In a series of anti-smoking maneuvers, the state banned smoking on school property, then extended that law to bars, restaurants and nearly all workplaces. The state's cigarette tax is the third highest in the nation.

While New Jersey has done much to stem its use, tobacco has become an important part of the state's attempt to bridge a massive budget gap.

New Jersey received $3.5 billion from the over $200 billion tobacco settlement between tobacco companies and the states. Over $1 billion was borrowed from New Jersey's settlement to narrow the state's budget deficit. Even more money will be directed to the state's 2004 deficit, virtually wiping out the money that was supposed to go toward long-term health care, education and anti-smoking activities.

While McKeon and Cryan want to increase the smoking age to 21, Democratic Governor Jim McGreevey is mulling over hiking the cigarette tax for the second consecutive year to $1.90 per pack, which would make the state cigarette tax the highest in the nation. New Jersey currently taxes cigarettes at $1.50 per pack.

While states such as New Jersey and New York have banked on tobacco taxes to generate income, this logic may have backfired, as sales of cigarettes on the Internet - which are exempt from these inflated taxes - have steadily grown, replacing sales in stores. A report by the Small Business Survival Committee showed 88 percent of storeowners surveyed reported that the cigarette tax has hurt their tobacco sales.

Pro-tobacco groups believe raising the age to purchase tobacco products is just another example of politicians going too far.

"This is another example of demonizing tobacco. If you can fight in a war at 18, you should be able to smoke," said Audrey Silk, founder of New York Citizens Lobby Against Smoker Harassment. "If enforcement is the issue, then I guess these politicians don't realize there are such things as I.D. cards. There are laws on the books just enforce the laws."

While McKeon's bill has yet to be debated in New Jersey's State Assembly, he does expect a fight, both from some assembly members and the tobacco lobby.

"This is a societal question. We will abide by whatever the New Jersey Legislature decides," said Tom Ryan, a spokesman for Phillip Morris, which is focusing on the state's proposed tax increase. "These are not good solutions for New Jersey's budget problems."

"I'll be happy to take them on. This bill is simply the responsible thing to do," added McKeon.

[From The Deer Stand]

"We must consider the health of young people because of the damage smoking does to the body, as well as the long-term financial considerations because of the high cost of medical care for people who have cancer or emphysema."

Don't you love it? All politicians know the evils of smoking but they are afraid to ban smoking altogether. Government sues tobacco companies because their product causes illness and death, but I've never figured out why smokers don't sue government who makes it legal for them to buy a product that government readily admit kills people.

[P.O.E.]

While we're at it, let's move the voting age back up to 21. Oh, that's right, then the Dems would lose the MTV vote. Never mind. /sarc

[Coleus]

MTV--Satan's Favorite TV Station

[Coleus]

9-yr.-old Customers

Cigarette Additives

The Anti-Smoking Ads That Philip Morris Forced off the Air

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

N.J.would do better to hike the legal voting age.After all,democrats are more dangerous than cigarettes!

[Coleus]

LOL, they sure are.

[Clemenza]

There are rumors going around that Jersey is going to ban smoking in public places a al New York. Its a shame, as the bars in Hoboken and Jersey City are doing GREAT business right now.

[qam1]

Check out

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/834170/posts

It's about how they manipulate these figures.

Shelion does a great breakdown for the USA in post #16

[Coleus]

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[NYCVirago]

"In terms of age, it is very hard to tell the difference between a person who is 16, 17 or 18. Making the age 21 would make enforcement easier."

This is pretty stupid logic -- in terms of age, it's just as hard to tell the difference between a person who is 19, 20, or 21.