[Dakmar]

Yes, but with alcohol the seller can and should lose their license. There is a built in disincentive to prevent sales to minors. Like I said, the reason these substances are prohibited to minors is that they lack the maturity and judgement to make decisions regarding their use.

[Phantom Lord]

The reasons for age limits to purchase the products is not in question. But the lack of legal consequences for minors who purchase and use tobacco products provides for no deterance. Why should the weight of the law only fall on the seller of tobacco products? Minors caught with alcohol face legal consequences, why not do the same for tobacco?

[Gabz]

Yes, but with alcohol the seller can and should lose their license.

A license to sell tobacco products is required by the State of Delaware. 3 years ago legislation was introduced to also penalize the minor attempting to make the purchase along with the clerk - just like alcohol. The only opponents to it were the anti-smoker groups that claimed it was unfair to punish these young people because they were "addicted and didn't deserve punishment." Another proposal was to make possession an offense - same argument.

Needless to say, in Delaware it is perfectly OK for kids under 18 to smoke. Their parents can't give them the cigarettes or buy them for the kid - but the kid can smoke them.

This makes a whole lot of sense to me - NOT