Paternalism is on the rise as states start to consider increasing the smoking age from 18 to 21.
In Vermont, the House preliminarily approved a bill to raise the smoking age to 21 by 2019, along with higher taxes on cigarettes and tobacco products, according to the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus.
Even though only 11 percent of Vermont residents smoke, legislators have targeted them and claimed it’s a move that will improve public health. The move might fail, however. The final vote occurs Wednesday. If it succeeds, then it might get vetoed. Governor Peter Shumlin opposes the increase because “he does support the right of 18-year-olds to make their own decisions,” the Argus noted.
In Illinois, Chicago raised the legal age for purchasing tobacco to 21 in March. Now, the statehouse is considering a similar measure that will make the Chicago law a state law, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The anti-smoking bill was approved by the Senate Public Health Committee, and it will go to a full vote.
Lawmakers continually suggest that it’s irrational for someone to begin smoking, and justify smoking restrictions based on saving lives.
“We’re going to save lives by increasing the age from 18 to 21,” Illinois State Senator John Mulroe (D-Chicago) said when introducing his bill.
That might be, but if legislators could justify any restriction based on saving lives, then they could curb driving, unhealthy diets, and any risky entertainment. Smokers are aware of the risks, and if they can vote, get married, accept student loans, and join the military, they should also be free to engage in the risky behavior of smoking.
“Given the substantial publicity that smoking risks have received, it would be quite surprising if people had simply not gotten the message about the dangers of smoking,” Harvard Economist W. Kip Viscusi noted.
Limiting smoking in public places that would harm others is a reasonable policy goal for legislators. Dictating which decisions adults are allowed to make, however, is much more circumspect, and it’s another step in infantilizing the population.
