Due to these dressing-downs, parents and society alike impose restrictions on children against certain actions or products. These restrictions can perhaps be most visibly seen when drinking and smoking is the subject that is of concern.[break]
Most countries have their own viewpoints on the matters, as seen by the variations in legal ages. While countries such as Saudi Arabia completely forbid alcohol, Germany allows individuals at the age of 14 to consume alcohol in the presence of parents.
In Nepal, though there is no legal standing concerning it, there some groups that are proposing that the legal drinking age should be 24 while the legal age for smoking is 18.
However, oftentimes, these regulations aren’t followed, by neither the consumers nor the sellers due to their differences of opinions on this dual topic.
So, in order to gain more insight on this matter, we asked the fans on our Facebook page about their opinions on what the legal age for drinking and smoking should be.
Bibek Panta opines, “It’s like limiting the age for certain movies. Teenagers tend to get more enthusiastic and try to watch the restricted movies instead when this happens. Therefore, when we limit the age, we’re encouraging them, so we need to make them aware and teach them instead of setting an age limit.”
According to Maayurikaa Miharu, “It should be 25. People tend to understand their responsibilities at this age. They start to realize what’s correct and what’s not. They even start to consider the people around them more than themselves at this age.”
Suushant Thapa declares, “Since drinking and smoking both are injurious to health, I don’t think that it should be legalized at any age level. However, if there’s an age guidepost, then I think it should be 25.”
It is Bishwo Khadgi who puts up a good argument concerning this as he says, “Citizens are legally considered adult at the age of 18. So if they can marry, vote, adopt children, own and drive automobiles, have abortions, enter into legally binding contracts, operate businesses, be imprisoned, be executed, work as civil servants, sue and be sued in court, why not legalize smoking and drinking at that age?”
However, he is quick to point out that he, personally, feels that Nepal should go the Gulf countries’ way and prohibit them completely.
Related story
Active vs Passive Smoking
