You have to provide ID and be over 21 to purchase nicotine. You can't advertise nicotine products. You have to be licensed to sell nicotine products.

Same for alcohol. Restrictions on who can buy, who can sell, and how you can advertise and market.

These are not the same as some random pill from a gas station sold to anyone with cash with zero regulations, safety, restrictions, or even any requirement to tell you what's actually in it.

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m463 a day ago | parent | next [-]

I find it interesting when traveling.

I remember traveling to mexico and being surprised.

Giant "Marlboro Man" billboards.

Television advertisements for hard alcohol.

but what was also funny was Coca-Cola ads always had something like "Siempre come frutas y verduras" (Always eat fruits and vegetables)

(nowadays mexican food labeling is even more specific, saying stuff like "excess calories" or "excess sugars" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_labeling_in_Mexico )

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newsclues a day ago | parent | prev [-]

When I was a kid, there were cigarette vending machines.

I am not that old.

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bullfightonmars a day ago | parent | next [-]

Then what happened?

Better regulation, better enforcement, anti-smoking advertising campaigns, banning public smoking, and drastically reduced amongst youth and the general public.

Cigarette regulation to reduce smoking starting in the mid/late 90s is the poster child for public policy done well.

	▲	stasomatic 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I don't think it worked. I was floored by how much smoking I saw on a recent trip to Europe, by young people of all. Scary slogans on the packs, no effect. Cigs are barely a thing in the states now, you are kind of a low caste pariah if you smoke, but I guess vaping and cannabis picked up the baton. I am an ex pack-a-day smoker myself, but quit about 10y ago. Don't crave cigs or the smell, but do crave nicotine.

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smcg a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

now they have vape vending machines!

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nkrisc a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Yeah, and where are they now?

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mothballed a day ago | parent | prev [-]

Kids can still order wine and cigars from the internet without ID. When I was a child I did it. The law doesn't require signature on delivery, and the deliveryman has no idea what's inside and thus will accept signature from anyone including me when I was a child.

The regulations on selling tobacco in person AFAIK are only for cigarette and cigeratte labeled type rolling tobacco. You can still order perfectly cigarette smokable "pipe" tobacco online straight from an internet "vending machine" and probably a real one. Very few people know this though because it turns out to not actually be a much of a problem.

	▲	robobro a day ago \| parent [-]
		Or, heaven forbid, a kid could spill a pinch of bread yeast into a bottle of fruit juice, wait a week or so, put it in the freezer overnight, and get some alcohol stronger than wine! No internet required! In practice I think most young people who want to drink will just get it from a "cool older brother" or steal it, whether from parents or corner stores. At least that is what I saw in semi-rural America. People will do what they want to do, with or without vending machines and online ordering.