Age requirements (a question and a discussion topic)

So quick question:
Do you have to be 18 to buy a lighter in East Tennessee, USA?
Will they card me? I'm only 17, plus I have no I.D.
I want a reasonable factual answer, not just what you THINK.


And that brings me to the topic:
What do you think about age limits/requirements?
And I'm talkin about all kinds.
For example, you are a legal adult at age 18 and can buy cigarettes but can't buy alcohol until you're 21, yet you can work as a bartender when you're only 18.

 

Where can you work as a bartender at 18? As far as I know, you have to be 21...

 

Ya, you have to be 21 where i live.....i have never heard that before though.....

 

Same with Magick; here's it's 21.

I believe age limits are necessary and should be used more often with certain products and places...

But they really should either raise the age you have to be to join the military or lower the age to drink alcohol, because being able to die for your country yet not drink a beer seems pretty wrong to me.
​

 

well here it's 18, which i think is really dumb. I can make alcoholic drinks but not purchase them or buy them?

and I agree, if I can die for my country, get arrested, be tried as an adult, pay taxes, then i deserve a motherf!!king beer!
I think if they want to keep age requirements, they should make it the same age.
I understand getting a driver's license at 16 but everything else should be when you become of age at 18

 

I have always thought it ridiculous that you can be married with children, in the army, voting, owning weapons, smoking and driving before you are allowed to buy alcohol. Having it at 21 helps no-one and only gives the police another reason to arrest people. It is 18 in the UK and kids drink from as young as 12, if not younger. Age limits are pointless unless enforced, and in this case it is parents that need to enforce it (the police and courts are not there to do parents job for them).

 

ehem

"Ok, so you might get shot in the ass, but since your 18, NO BEER. got it?"

That's pretty much what they say..

 

I personally don't mind if the age limit is 21, but so many ignore it anyways, so the drinking age probably should be lowered to 18 or so.
Here, you're allowed to purchase alcoholic drinks at 18, and hard liqueurs at 20. I think that this makes more sense... Although lots of underaged kids still drink.
What I find stupid with our age restrictions is that despite the fact that you have to be 18 to buy tobacco, you're allowed to smoke at 15-16. ​

 

Age limits are a necessary evil. Sure people might be pissed that they are getting "ruled out" but ever think that it might be there for our health? I'm sure the reason why the drinking age is 21 and not 18 is because 21 year olds have shown to have overall better judgement. If the drinking age was lowered I'm sure car insurance would go up, most likely the death toll for drunk driving would go up, etc, the list goes on and on.

What!?

Are you sure...? That seems...well...crazy.

 

Not necessarily, and certainly not permanently. The mistake was making it so high in the first place. If it was lowered now everyone would automatically buy loads because it is suddenly available and it would be a mess. Whereas if they had started at 18 there would be no problem.

 

It is rather f***ed up, kids in middle school can smoke, and teachers can't really do anything about it except say that you're not allowed to smoke on school premises .–.
(By the way, I don't live in the States)​

 

Well, in terms of the drinking age, it did start at 18. But the Federal Government told States to raise it if they were to build interstate highways for them.

ohhh

now I see...but...smoking at 15 is really bad for kids' health.