The federal government’s decision to change the law of minimum tobacco purchase age and sell related products to a person under twenty-one years is excellent. Previously, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act prevented individuals who are under the age of eighteen years from purchasing tobacco products. According to Winickoff et al. (2016), raising the tobacco age to twenty-one years is an essential strategy for ensuring public health and saving youth lives. Despite the number of smokers reducing every year since 2011, it is essential to ensure a healthy future generation (Winickoff et al., 2016). Therefore, increasing the tobacco age in the U.S. will reduce the number of young adults and adolescents who commence smoking, reduce tobacco-related deaths, and exponentially improve youths’ health.
The tobacco smoking law does not infringe on civil liberties and individual personal freedom. According to Winickoff et al. (2016), individuals have no constitutional right to smoke. Parties in the U.S. argue that the amendment encroaches on the freedom statement that the Creator endows every civilian with specific unalienable rights, including liberty and happiness pursuit. However, Winickoff et al. (2016) opine that the right to life and the federal government is ensuring that people do not shorten their lifespans by smoking tobacco. Connectedly, the tobacco law does not infringe on individual freedom and civil liberties.
Arguably, vaping is not a healthier alternative to tobacco smoking. Green et al. (2020) allude that e-cigarettes have critical dangers, including damaging users’ lungs, causing nicotine addiction, and equally containing harmful liquid, which equates to poison. Nicotine refutes pregnant women and subsequently harms the inborn (Green et al., 2020). Vaping has equal or even more harm than smoking itself. Thus, it is worth noting that vaping is not a healthier alternative to smoking.
References
Green, M. J., Gray, L., Sweeting, H., & Benzeval, M. (2020). Socioeconomic patterning of vaping by smoking status among U.K. adults and youth. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 183. Web.
Winickoff, J. P., McMillen, R., Tanski, S., Wilson, K., Gottlieb, M., & Crane, R. (2016). Public support for raising the age of sale for tobacco to 21 in the United States. Tobacco Control, 25(3), 284-288. Web.