Governor Blunt Clears Adult Court Docket on Backs of Parents

Bill revamps handling of underage smokers:

Crime legislation pending before Gov. Matt Blunt would let juvenile courts again handle cases against young smokers, a change officials hope will help them fight teenage tobacco use.

A 1999 law sent tobacco possession offenses to adult criminal court, but this year's legislation allows citations issued to those younger than 17 to be handled in either juvenile or adult court.

Undoubtedly, the same cacaphony of anti-smoking activists who want to make Missouri number one in the country for excise taxation on cigarettes will bemoan the governor's attempts to diminish the negative sanction on young smokers.

I, however, think it's a good step to responsibility. The parents' responsibility:

Adult court allows a young offender to pay a fine and court costs without telling his or her parents the ticket had been issued, he said.

Juvenile court, on the other hand, ensures the parents get involved and includes counseling on the health risks of smoking and using other tobacco products, he said.