Anti-Smoking Nazi's Have Gone TOO FAR

This came to my attention last year.
I was driving my neighbor's kid home from recital and stopped by a mini-mart and sent them in for matches since I was almost out (wooden matches for my wood stove).
They wouldn't sell him matches.
In CA. it's against the law for a minor to possess matches or a lighter or presumably 2 sticks to rub together.
No form of ignition.
There are many reasons for a minor to possess matches/lighter that are 100% legit.
Such as lighting a wood stove or an old gas range or incense or a candle or a barbeque or a campfire.
The power in my county was out most of the day; someone without matches couldn't cook anything since newer gas stoves/ovens require elect. to light.

I don't know if this is just state-wide or nationwide. Can you possess a lighter or matches in your neck of the woods?

 

i know. bastards never let me buy lighters. so i just get a pack of them and go through the self check-out lane in wal mart. lol

 

i used to be stopped when i was underage but im not sure if it was a law or a store policy. but most places dont care

 

They're supposed to card around here, but its not enforced like smokes

 

In the uk matches are fine to buy at any age. They won't sell you lighters under 16 but that's cos they think you'll sniff the gas not cos you'll start a forest fire hehe but this is rarely enforced (or at least it wasn't when I was younger).

Both are fine to posess at any age

 

Sniff Butane? I'd have to be pretty damn desperate for a high if I did that

 

so much for that next troop of lost boyscouts - they are gonna freeze to death since it was illegal to possess matches... bummer

 

Never tried it meself but it was all the rage with the kids in the 80s...

 

lol yeah

ive only got id'ed once buying lighters here when i was 14

 

I never got carded in my life for a lighter or matches. Around here in PA. they usually have the matches on the counter at arms reach for free. I know ranger is talking about the wooden ones, but I never heard of anyone having troble buying them until I read his post. I was in rehab when I was 16 y.o. for 43 days, & they would supply 2 packs of matches every day for smoking ciggs.

 

I was carded at a mobil gas station a few days ago when i was buying a lighter. I told them it was for a camping stove for boy scouts (usually you use matches so you dont burn your fingers) but they said it was store policy and there was nothing they could do.

 

Back in the day the stores around here wouldnt sell me lighters.. now Im a regular and they'll sell me smokes, alchohol, whatever the fuck I want. They know I'm a legit customer who wont get them in trouble =]

Plus.. how old were these kids you sent in? If its like under 12 or 13, I know they wont sell them anything thats used to start fires because they think kids will just go out and blow their hands off with bottle rockets and what not. Its not the store's fault, its just liability.

 

FYI.. trouble buying lighters? Just steal the Bic 5 packs next time your in a supermarket, that should hold you over for awhile.

 

in WI, it´s the same deal. i work at a convenience store, so i know all about it. of course, i think it´s extremely stupid, but what´s even more stupid is the fact that the worker selling/giving out matches can get a fine for doing so. if you sell cigarettes to an underage person and they bust you, the person who did it gets a $500 fine and the cigarette companies instantly cancel all contracts (which give special low-pricing to the stores), so the price of all major brands of cigs. will go sky-high for that store. usually, that could mean that it would go out of business (it´s happened before).
i´m not sure what would happen as a result of selling lighters and/or matches, but i would assume a fine would be involved.

generally, i dont card anyone for lighters or matches except if they look REALLY sketchy or are WAY to young. it´s not worth it to "help someone out" in exchange for getting in lots of unecessary trouble.

 

At the store I work at, minors could buy matches but not lighters.

 

Yeah, I used to get shit while trying to buy lighters, too. And I usually always needed them for my stove as well. I have found that they are usually more willing to sell those long BBQ lighters, which work better for stoves and such anyways. But still, it's ridiculous.

 

They'll only sell you fluidless lighters here. (I've tried) IDK about wood matches, though.
A friend of mine about my age claims he got a lighter taken away because it was 'paraphernalia', but he also had a glass pipe that wasn't used for its intended purpose of tobacco, but illegal drugs instead.

 

when i was under 19 i had a hard time buying lighters, but i could usually get them to sell me lighter fluid on its own for my zippo. one time a lady interrogated me about what i was gonna use the lighter fluid for, thought it was "those new drugs kids are doing"... hahahahaha

yeah ranger its pretty lame, matches arent as hard to get though

 

Who uses glass pipes for smoking tobacco? Seriously.

 

they've always sold me lighters. but their Indians, and they'll sell you fucking crack with cury on it if you have money.