JWeinCom said:
Well, any number we set would be ultimately arbitrary. For example, suppose I have a liquor store. The law is, "You can't sell alcohol to anyone unless they are mature enough to drink responsibly." That would be non-arbitrary, but how exactly could I follow that? I can't really judge the maturity of every person who comes into my store or anything. We need to set some kind of hard number to make any kind of restriction enforceable. Age seems like the only viable option. Ideally, the number would be based on some kind of science backed data. As for why it's 18, I imagine that came to be because it roughly coincides with the end of puberty for most people. |
Yeah, I agree. There is not much of a different, alternative approach here. But what about differences depending on countries? I guess (without reading up on any of it) that the US allows alcohol consumption later than Austria could have something to do with the countrys history of prohibition.
And prohibition is another odd matter. Alcohol is more dangerous than what people in this particular thread like to consume. Yet alcohol is available in most places while weed is illegal. Cocaine was legal for a time as I understand it. That is cazy to me. Than there is nicotine and caffeine. Even stuff like sugar (perhaps my most severe addiction) is super unhealthy but is not really regulated in any way. - Perhaps in a hundred years time things are flipped and you could smoke as much cannabis as you like, but when the munchies hit, you have to go to your secret donut stash. :)
