By Alyssa Achmidt-Carr
Everyone knows smoking is bad for you. In the past, as an ASUP senator, I even tried to ban smoking on campus. Many people were for it, but many people also sympathized with the campus smokers. January 1, 2009, Oregon law banned smoking in bars. (ALLELUIA!) I can finally go to a club or bar and not have to wash my clothes five times to make it smell fresh again. The Oregon legislature has been discussing ways to reduce teen smoking. One way proposed was to be able to get cigarettes by prescription only and another to change the legal age to 21.
Will this stop teens from smoking? Does the similar alcohol age stop teens from drinking? No. I wish the answer was this easy, but increasing the legal age to 21 will just glorify the use of tobacco. Teens will have others buy it for them, just like they do for alcohol. What will the 18-20 year olds that are already addicted to cigarettes do until they reach 21? They will continue to smoke; by finding other ways of obtaining their cancer sticks.
I can just imagine several situations; one where someone who had enrolled for the military at the age of 18 who has just finished serving two years overseas and is back to spend time with friends and family and wants to unwind with a quick puff, must quickly realize what s/he is fighting for, can arrest him any minute if caught. If this were to pass, the reaction by Oregonians will be huge. People will protest downtown like they do for everything else. It will cost the government more money than it is worth to enforce this new law. Another factor they have to take into account is that smokers pay taxes on their cigarettes, and if they ban cigarettes they will lose revenue from taxes. Don't get me wrong, I cringe every time I have to breathe in someone's smoke on the way to class, but I would rather have the cops keeping me safe from gang related activity and crazy hobos than chasing around smokers.
Alyssa Schmidt-Carr is a junior life science major
