21 Smoking

From Yahoo:
"Hawaii becomes first U.S. state to raise smoking age to 21"

Hawaii's governor on Friday signed a bill raising the legal smoking age statewide to 21, the first U.S. state to do so. The law takes effect on Jan. 1, 2016, and will also ban the sale, purchase or use of electronic cigarettes for those under the age of 21. "Raising the minimum age as part of our comprehensive tobacco control efforts will help reduce tobacco use among our youth and increase the likelihood that our keiki (children) will grow up to be tobacco-free," Governor David Ige said in a statement. Also on Friday, Ige signed a bill banning smoking and e-cigarette use at state parks and beaches, acts already banned in all city and county parks other than of Kaua'i County, according to his office. Most U.S. states set the legal smoking age at 18, while a handful have set it higher at 19. Some cities and counties, including New York City and Hawaii County, have already raised the smoking age to 21. Lawmakers in Washington state and California have also pushed to raise the legal smoking age to 21 in recent months. Opponents of the bill have argued that it limits choice for people considered adults in other situations, like joining the military. In Hawaii, roughly nine out of 10 smokers start before the age of 21 and many report receiving cigarettes from friends or relatives of legal age, according to the governor's office.

             

             

 ^ I should state that I do not smoke and also don't really drink alcohol. With that said I believe that if you are legally considered an adult at 18 (you can vote, run for office, fight/die for your country, etc) then you should be able to choose to smoke and drink at 18 as well. ^

http://news.yahoo.com/hawaii-becomes-first-u-state-raise-smoking-age-044416426.html