Kids under 16 aren't old enough to drive, and yet there are plenty of toys shaped like cars and trucks.

Toy guns, movies involving gun violence without R ratings, saturday morning cartoons, television featuring people consuming alcohol, etc.

All of the above can have just as bad as, if not worse, consequences for children should the gateway argument be applied.

This is not to downplay the consequences of minors using tobacco products. It's to demonstrate that just because something appeals to a child does not mean that it should be prohibited for adults to consume / participate in situations that only adults should be allowed to consume it.

Campfires are plenty enthralling - sing along songs, s'mores, hot dogs, etc. There's no calculating the devastation caused by out of control fires, and children definitely should not be playing with it, and yet there's no call to ban adults from enjoying them either.

The whole argument is an ad absurdum, from campfires all the way back to banning pleasant tasting tobacco.