Get through customs with cigarettes?

Bazinga_N

Hi, I'm 15 years old and I smoke. I'm heading off to LA in 3 weeks with a group from school for a science competition. I'm just wondering because I'm a minor would there be issues with bringing a packet of cigarettes with me? Nothing major, just one pack. I don't plan on trying to hide them or anything but I'd prefer if my teachers didn't find out. How would I go about making sure I take them through customs correctly? It's my first time flying so I really have no idea how the whole situation works. Thanks for any help


Sorry if this is in the wrong place! Mods, please feel free to move it wherever you think would be best!

efb

AFAIK it's not illegal to be in possession of cigarettes as a minor- just buying them.

harry Bailey esq

put em into your check in luggage.simples.

twowheelsonly

You're fine until you get to LA. Then Section 308 of the California Penal Code kicks in:

(b) Every person under the age of 18 years who purchases,
receives, or possesses any tobacco, cigarette, or cigarette papers,
or any other preparation of tobacco, or any other instrument or
paraphernalia that is designed for the smoking of tobacco, products
prepared from tobacco, or any controlled substance shall, upon
conviction, be punished by a fine of seventy-five dollars ($75) or 30
hours of community service work.

So basically it's an offence to even be in possession of tobacco or any other smoking paraphernalia.


Apart from that it's pretty dumb of you to smoke in the first place - and that's coming from someone that smokes 40 a day and started when he was 13. (Now 49)
No doubt you can 'give them up anytime you want' and you 'only smoke a couple a day/week/month'. I was that soldier.
Do yourself a favour and use this trip as a time NOT to smoke and come home as a non-smoker. California is not the place for having sneaky smokes anyway as it's banned just about everywhere except standing in the middle of a 20 acre field!!

ProudDUB

twowheelsonly wrote: »

Do yourself a favour and use this trip as a time NOT to smoke and come home as a non-smoker. California is not the place for having sneaky smokes anyway as it's banned just about everywhere except standing in the middle of a 20 acre field!!

.....and even of on that 20 acre field, very often you still can't smoke, especially if it is government property.

Agree 100%. OP, California is the birth place of the anti smoking movement. It really goes out of its way to make life very, very hard for smokers in ways that make Ireland look like a walk in the park. California has has very, very restrictive anti smoking rules and regulations. You won't know anything about them, so you'll probably break them without even being aware of them.

The last thing you need is to be coming to the attention of a cop for lighting up somewhere you shouldn't. And trust me, they WILL pull you up on it if they see someone smoking where you shouldn't. You'll get into even more into hot water when they find out your age. Do you really want to be dealing with all that hassle from the teachers, all the way from home, when they find out you've gotten in trouble with the cops?

Use the break to wean yourself off the fags. Your lungs and your pocket will thank you in the years to come.

naughtysmurf

ProudDUB wrote: »

Use the break to wean yourself off the fags. Your lungs and your pocket will thank you in the years to come.

Take this advice please OP

peckerhead

+1,000,000. From another smoker who started at 13. If I could go back and change one thing I did at your age, that would be it.

spurious

Bazinga_N, now is the time to knock it on the head. You're a smart young person with potentially a great future ahead in college and life in general, don't do it hacking up lumps of green and stinking out every room you go into. Use the American trip as a chance to take a week-long (or whatever) break from the smokes.

Single most stupid decision I ever made was to start smoking. One of the best things I ever did was to eventually stop cold turkey from a habit that had escalated to 50 a day and I still thought I had under control.

Smoke free since December 8th, 1999.

TheBody

Kick the fags op. I am just after putting a nebuliser on my father who has smoked 40 fags per day for 60 odd years. He is in and out of hospital with his chest. He can bearly walk without collasping from his breathing. I wish you could spend a day with him and see what lies ahead of you if you keep smoking.

There is nothing cool about smoking. Also anybody who smokes stinks something rotton. I guarantee any girl/boy you may fancy will think twice when they get a blast of fag stink off you.

TheBody

TheBody wrote: »

Kick the fags op. I am just after putting a nebuliser on my father who has smoked 40 fags per day for 60 odd years. He is in and out of hospital with his chest. He can bearly walk without collasping from his breathing. I wish you could spend a day with him and see what lies ahead of you if you keep smoking.

There is nothing cool about smoking. Also anybody who smokes stinks something rotton. I guarantee any girl/boy you may fancy will think twice when they get a blast of fag stink off you.

Just want to add, last December I buried my mother who died from cancer. On her death certificate it states that the cause of death was cancer caused from passive smoking.

kerry4sam

I closed this thread Bazinga_N. If you have any issues with that, then please pm me.

Thanks,
kerry4sam