Seattle decriminalizes pot, seeks to make tobacco illegal for young adults

My home state of Washington is a strange place. Last year, the state, led by King County (Seattle), voted to legalize marijuana possession and use for those 21 and older.

But the same left-wing county is now pushing to raise the tobacco-buying age to 21 -- making it suddenly a crime for 18-, 19- and 20-year-old adults to buy a perfectly legal product. Why? The nannies want to keep kids from taking up the habit:

Raising the legal age would significantly reduce access to tobacco among those under 21 and make it less likely they would start smoking, [Pat] Godfrey [King County Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Administrative Board president] said. By the time they are 21, would-be users have outgrown their “experimental stage” and would be less likely to try tobacco.

“If you can discourage teens from taking up the habit in the first place, the long-term benefits are enormous,” Godfrey said.

These are adults -- not kids. I'd guess that, if Mr. Godfrey were a proponent of, say, abstinence education for actual kids, he'd be laughed out of Seattle. But when you're a health nanny (who conveniently ignores the health discussion of sex among young, unmarried people and the health impact of legalizing pot), nothing will stop you on your rampage to vilify tobacco.

Where did the board get this idea? Surprise:

Godfrey said the board’s decision to draft the resolution was sparked by New York City changing the legal age to purchase cigarettes from 18 to 21 last year.

Nannyism is contagious.