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0 pointsstreetfighter641d ago0 comments

"Parenting" is a nebulous concept and at least to me, it also includes pushing for better laws for children. Nobody would think it's reasonable to allow stores to sell cigarettes to children and tell parents "if you don't like it, just don't let your kids smoke".

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5 comments · 1 top-level

walthamstow1d ago· 4 in thread

Nicotine is probably the worst example possible to argue that laws prevent children from using and becoming addicted to something.

paulryanrogers1d ago

There's also heroine and fentanyl, both are regulated by the law.

walthamstow1d ago

Heroin is illegal for people of all ages, and those laws don't work either.

streetfighter64OP1d ago

Why is it the worst example? Sure, the laws don't 100% prevent children from smoking, but certainly they have an effect. I'm not using it as an example of a perfectly effective law, I'm using it to make the point that it wouldn't be reasonable to say "parenting is the only defense against smoking" and scrap the law.

walthamstow1d ago

It's a bad example because the last 5+ years in UK/US have seen an epidemic of child vaping and nicotine addiction when it was illegal for them to have it, while the Tobacco companies fight tooth and nail against regulation on fruity flavours and bright colours.

I don't want to scrap laws. In Britain we're 20 years ahead of the US on this (see Gambling Act 2005). Gambling laws are written by the gambling industry so no parent should think that the law will do anything to help their child.

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