3-23 Digital Dialogue: Increasing smoking age; Measles warning

Readers recently shared their thoughts upon learning that the age requirement for Texans to purchase tobacco products — including cigarettes and e-cigarettes — could increase this year from 18 to 21 if Senate Bill 21 passes during the 86th Legislative Session.

Donald Cosper Should be 18 as 18 is age of adulthood. At 18 adults should be able to smoke, drink, vote, buy a gun, volunteer for military, get drafted....welcome to adulthood! With all the rights comes the responsibilities.

Dan Shively II Raise the age to adulthood to 21. Done. No more kids dying in wars until 21, no voting, no smoking, no drinking, taking more responsibility off of them from being forced to grow up.

Alie Huff Good!! And while your at it. Raise the legal driving age to 18 or 21 becaus putting a child in charge of a 2-ton weapon it’s not very smart.

Dean Martin I remember when they did that with beer. Lowered the drinking age to 18 then turned around and raised back to 21! I think if they are old enough to be drafted at 18 then they are old enough to drink smoke etc.

Danna Franklin Increasing the age is NOT going to keep anyone from smoking. This is a waste of time. “Texas” needs to focus on more productive things.

Joseph Cook Just raise the cost of a pack of cigs to 15.00 a pack.

Elizabeth Sheppard It needs to be raised to 100 like hawaii just did!!

Laurie Parry I saw my uncle die slowly from emphysema -- so, I’ve never had a cigarette in my whole life... if kids could see people dying from smoking, they would not smoke.

Pat Green Trussell It doesn’t matter what age it’s raised to, if people want to smoke they will.

Leonard-Ray Hammonds We need to have No Smoking, No Drugs and No Drinking in the world.

Kaylee Ford I dont care either way. I’m over that age so....

Amber Jas Wow. That’s silly. I dont smoke or care for it but its your damn body. Next they will have an age limit on drinking soda because it kills too.

Chris Caroselli Even as a smoker myself. They should keep adding taxes to each pack. It’s a horrible habit. And tax money should be allocated to anti smoking campaigns. Every year just raise the tax by like 50 cents per pack. As the years go by, less and less will smoke either through education or unaffordable. And they should do the same on a lot of other crap too.

So far this year, the Texas Department of State Health Services has already reported 11 cases of measles in Texas.

Virginia Collins GET YOUR SHOTS....

SK Ranch When I was young and got measles or chicken pox the other siblings were to hang out with us so they would get them as well. We didn’t die from them.

Matt Ellis If only there was a way to prevent measles.

Moon Underwood People don’t understand how diseases transmit, or they don’t care. Covering your cough/sneezes, wearing a mask in waiting rooms (heck everyone should, not just the sick folk), and hand washing (you don’t need triclosan soaps, just soap and water), avoiding eating anything finger-food or touching your beverage straws if you know you’ve handled light switches or doorknobs or keyboards that aren’t clean, keeping your hands off your face in public spaces, etc. Anyone is at risk but particularly those who are immune compromised. Keep your sick to yourself.