Between the ages of 18 and 21 is when I think it should be allowed. However, I don't believe that one should drink or smoke too close to a school, hospital church or any other public area. Second hand smoking can do some damage to others around, if a person chooses to drink o smoke they should find a more secure area and do it at a more appropriate time.
I only drink for few occasions, either a night out with friends, celebrating an event or in business meeting, as for smoking, i only smoke when i'm nervous.
I'm not a health buff and I used to smoke when I was younger. But I realized that smoking and drinking are habits that entail expenses. Especially now that a pack of cigarettes here costs $1 which is already prohibitive, I wonder how the poor can still afford to buy cigarettes when they have a problem with their food budget. Likewise with drinking, I know of some guys who would spend for drinking not minding that his family has no food on the table. Those vices are best left to the wealthy for they can afford the medical expenses when they get sick.
I think we have to take care of our health. And we need to find out what may or may not apply for health. For example if drinking leads to health issues, one has to avoid the drinking habit. You can see that smoking habit definitely affects the breathing issue. That's something you have to learn as well. For this reason alcohol and the smoking needs to be either avoided or controlled.
In Texas the laws here state that a person must be 18 or older to purchase or consume tobacco. You must be 21 or older to purchase or consume alcohol. I agree with the general consensus that both should be 18.
Here in the Philippines, the legal age for drinking is 18. But unfortunately, the government is not strict in implementing it and minors can easily purchase them in grocery stores and small stores. As for smoking, there is no legal age assigned to it, so minors can easily buy it in stores.
In Kenya, the legal age for drinking is 18 years, but it has not been specified for smoking. In fact, we are really fighting to stop smoking. Well, sometimes I totally fail to understand us. It has been ordered that every packet of cigarettes should have a picture accompanied by a statement of the harmful effects it causes. However, people still smoke. As a result, the government has created smoking zones, out of which if you smoke, you will pay a hefty fine. In my opinion, I think that cigarettes should be completely banned, and the level of alcohol in drinks reduced drastically. Anyone found selling any of these to a minor, should face a jail term. If possible, I feel that both should be completely banned, and the money used in purchasing them, be put to good use.
