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If you become adults at 18 in Ontario and PEI, why can't you drink and smoke until age 19?

  • Saskatchewan is only partially complainable with an age of majority of 18, smoking age of 18 and a drinking age of 19. BC, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and New Brunswick all have an age of majority, smoking age and drinking age of 19. Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec all have an age of majority, smoking age and drinking age of 18. Even the three territories have an age of majority and drinking age of 19, yet you can smoke BEFORE you become an adult at 18 in all of them. So why do Ontario and PEI make it so you can't drink and smoke until one year after you become an adult? It makes no sense at all. Why a single year? Why not 5 years afterwards? I'm actually stumped by this. What's the point of having an age of majority if these two 'adult' privileges come a year later? I'm not necessarily saying a drinking and smoking age of 19 is bad, in fact I think 19 is the best age there is to set the drinking and smoking age. I just don't understand why the government doesn't raise the age of majority to 19.

  • Answer:

    There was a brief period when Ontario's drinking age was 18. The problem was some Grade 12s and many Grade 13s were coming back after a legal liquid lunch and making problems at school. Very quickly the province raised the drinking age to 19. That's why.

Cam Smith at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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because thats just the law.

d-man

Nobody is stopping you from smoking you just can't buy cigarettes. The age of majority only means you can leave your parents house and live on your own and in that sense you are considered an adult.. The age of majority has nothing to do with anything else. You can get your beginners drivers license at 16--an adult thing isn't it. Should you have to wait until you are 18? You can get a hunting license before 18--an adult thing isn't it. Should you have to wait until you are 18? You see 18 isn't a magic number. There are priveledges that come before and some that come after and usually there is a good reason why they are that way

Dowlinggram

The term "adult" refers more to physical development than it does to chronological age. The main reason why most jurisdictions set ages between 18 and 21 is to make it more difficult for older teens to buy cigarettes and alcohol for younger teens in high school. Most should have finished by the time they can buy those substances legally. As you have probably experienced, there are some 16-year olds who are much more mature and responsible than some so-called "adults" in their 20's. But the ages of majority are set in the hope that the vast majority will be mature and intelligent enough to handle the privileges and responsibilities that come with attaining those ages.

Dogpile344

The Federal Age of Majority is 18 - at that age, the Feds consider you an adult, so you can vote, join th military, and so on. However, provincial ages of majority are different. 3 are 18, and the rest are 19. So, in Ontario, and PEI, you are considered a minor at 18. Now, specific rights can be granted earlier. E.g., the ability to get a driver's license, moving out of the house on your own (usually 16), and so on. In Yukon, if you are with your parents, you can drink at any age. There are all sorts of things like this. But, the actual age you are considered fully an adult varies provincially, even if it is 18 federally.

capitalgentleman

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