Letter: Oppose bill on age to buy Cigarettes
I just wanted to let our citizens know that state Rep. Walker Hines, D-New Orleans, has filed House Bill 240. This bill would up the age of purchasing Cigarettes to 21.
I just wanted to let our citizens know that state Rep. Walker Hines, D-New Orleans, has filed House Bill 240. This bill would up the age of purchasing Cigarettes to 21. Walker Hines may be trying to making Louisiana a healthier place to live, and that is admirable, but this is the wrong tactic. I remember when I was 18 and the drinking age went up to 21. I was furious. I pretty much stopped caring about politics for years because I felt like my rights meant nothing. It was not a matter of whether I could buy alcohol or not. It was the fact that my freedom to decide what is right for me was taken away so easily. It is unfortunate that minors gain access to things that harm them, but that is one of the many prices we pay to live in a free country. Every citizen young and old, smoker or nonsmoker should e-mail Walker Hines at [email protected] and remind him that further limiting the personal choices of his constituents is not his job. It is especially important for 18- to 20-year-olds to realize that politicians are able to pass these laws that limit your rights because they think you will not respond. Please do not prove them right.