Maybe I don't understand. I was always under the assumpution that you had to be 18+ years of age to purchase any type of tobacco product and that a photo ID with the purchers birth date on it was always requried. Even purchases from websited already 'require' age verification. So, maybe, I'm not quite understanding what this bit of legislation is for or about.
I believe the idea is that currently the FDA only specifically regulates cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco, and smokeless tobacco. The FDA got court approval to be able to regulate e-cigs on the basis that nicotine is derived from the tobacco plant, and thus falls under FDA scrutiny. As far as I have read, the main focus in articles has been on the effect this will have on e-cigs. The current proposal would force ID requirements specifically on tobacco products that were not specifically mentioned. The e-cig companies also have to submit reports to the FDA for review in order to continue sales. At this point, the move does not ban advertising or the flavors that anti-smokers blame for kid appeal.
Pipe tobacco and cigars seem to be a smaller footnote that is not really being discussed by the media. This will likely lead to additional "sin taxing", and will make pipe tobacco more difficult to obtain and/or pricier even on the online market.
All I can say is that we need to stock up on tobacco. I'm only 26, and I plan on living forever. I don't have enough tobacco to sustain myself over the incoming difficulties. Personally, I plan on selling some pipes, halting PAD, and focusing heavily on my cellar. Pipes will always be there, the tobacco may not.
When are they going to focus their efforts on real problems? How about we target the fast food industry.
This sort of idea is the cornerstone of many of the First Lady's ideas. Proposed soda bans/taxes such as the ones in New York are an example of similar ideas. While I am of the mind that there are
some people with good intentions here, the fact of the matter is that we are being fooled. The point of "healthy legislation" has nothing to do with the greater good. It has nothing to do with freedoms. It has to do with money. Sin taxes are big money; just look at Colorado's marijuana tax revenue. We get hit from both sides. We are forced into health care, and we are forced to pay extra for the things that make us unhealthy. The end result is that the government gets payed, and we lose our ability to choose what we want for ourselves.
I personally am guilty of being a fatty and a smoker. I do not seek government assistance for healthcare, I pay for my own privately because I do not expect you all to pay for my health just because I want to eat a Big Mac and chain smoke my pipes. The problem is that I also don't want to have to pay more for that burger and tobacco just because the government needs the money to pay for the heart surgery or lung cancer treatment of the next fatty/smoker that can't take financial responsibility for their own choices.
