|
|
Dear Bill, I realize you politicians are busy trying to figure out how to keep you and yours in power, But doesn't anyone ever consider the ramifications of bills and laws before you sign them. This letter concerns the new FDA standards for tobacco product sales. I would not be surprised if tobacco companies supported this measure covertly or even openly. There are a few things I can not figure out at all. Why are Cigars and chewing tobacco are exempt?Who wrote this legislation? Swisher International, Phillies cigars, General cigar or perhaps White Owl?
Since the FDA specifically exempts these products does that mean the FDA approves of minors chewing tobacco and smoking cigars? Also your entire argument on this crackdown on Cigarettes appears to be focused on one report that 12 year olds in Philadelphia only get carded 20% of the time. Philadelphia, that is where the cops bomb apartment complexes, plant evidence for drug seizures, mug and rob it's citizens. Where you can buy crack on street corners and people are so used to to the crackle of uzi fire that they no longer jump when someone fires off a couple hundred rounds. By the way Philadelphia is also the city that has had laws almost identical to the new federal legislation for years. Do you really expect that this to stop because you want to throw 40 million dollars at the problem over the next couple of years? Get your head out of the money bag and smell the shit. It is only a few miles away. After a great deal of cerebral consideration I have come to the conclusions that this new effort: 1. Will have absolutely no effect what so ever on stopping children from using tobacco products. 2. It's only useful purpose is revenue enhancement for the local government. 3. Will reward non-compliant businesses and hurt respectable ones. 4. Will create an entirely new class of criminals. What you say in mock shock, how it that possible? For the benefit of the intellectually disadvantaged... consider this; Studies have shown that over 30% of smokers begin between ages 5 and 12 and sixty percent between ages 12 and 16. Do you suppose that a five year old can walk into the local super market and buy cigarettes? No one with even a small speck of humanity would sell to small children. Not to mention that five year olds have a very limited cash supply. So where do they get them? They steal them from their parents, grandparents, baby-sitters and older siblings. When they get older say 12 - 15 they become more mobile, but still very cash short, so they steal cigarettes from those damn consumer displays that cigarette companies pay extra to place in spots more easily shoplifted (it doesn't say that but it is the end result for whatever reasons they claim) How does your new law stop this? Your new law calls for mandatory face to face picture ID for every purchase,every time... This gives absolutely no credit for intelligence on the part of the clerk. I mean don't you think the average clerk can tell a twelve year old from a twenty seven year old? Don't you believe they have the sense to ask if there is a possibility of being under age, based alone on the ridiculous size fines ($200-$500 per occurrence) placed on the clerk, and not the business for not carding regardless of the legality of the sale itself? Don't you think that a clerk who sees the same people day after day after day (It is a daily habit) would begin to remember some of the regular customers. So eventually being tired of the constant complaints from regular customers, they may stop carding them or they will go to someplace else to buy them.. Then your local police department will set up stings operations with a very old looking 27 year old and collect all kinds of fines.. Which leads us to the unscrupulous characters that will sell to 15 or 16 years olds. Usually their theory is " someone is going to sell them it might as well be me..." If he isn't carding now this new law is not going to change his mind at all... and he gets the overflow from customers that get pissed off about being carded elsewhere, and it doesn't increase penalties at all for selling to under aged?
Finally the new classes of criminals those clerks who let their guard down at the wrong moment... and the second... How long do you think it will take for business minded 18 year olds to figure out that with the restrictions that they can sell cigarettes to their underclassmen for $5 a pack, and hence we develop cigarette pushers...
