Last year, the city council of New Brunswick, Canada, passed a bylaw that banned trick-or-treating for teenagers older than the age of 16, with anyone who violates it facing a $200 fine, according to CBC. I say they should bring that law to the United States and make the fine $1,000.
Once someone reaches the age of 16, lots of milestones happen: they can receive a learner’s permit in most states, drop out of school and even get married with parental consent. But most importantly, they can get a job.
Listen, I’m all for sharing and being a part of a community, but times can get rough, and I might not have the funds to purchase an extra bag or two of candy for teenagers who are perfectly able to buy their own with their hard-earned money. Plus, spending on Halloween candy in America is set to increase 4.2 percent in 2018, according to IHS Markit.
Y’all secured your bag, so now get your own bag.
I could see the point being made by some that view trick or treating, or Halloween itself, as a tradition, but I honestly just have to laugh at that. Once people reach a certain age, the holiday becomes an excuse to either culturally appropriate by wearing a “Sexy Cleopatra” costume bought from Walmart or drink so much that all recollection of the night before is lost. If the government thinks that people who are 16 and up possess the capabilities of an average adult to work, then I believe they should no longer expect to join preschoolers on All Hallows’ Eve, collecting confectionary treats from their neighbors.
My own departure from trick-or-treating on Halloween was fairly easy, since I’m not a huge fan of sweets. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy a chocolate bar, gummy bears and candy corn—I say this because I can already hear the people with sweet tooths being offended, as if I had told them that their child was ugly. Each year in upstate New York, I’d head back home after collecting a large amount of candy from my neighbors and then forget about the candy until my parents eventually threw it out because it hadn’t been touched for weeks. By the age of 16, I had already gone years without trick-or-treating—because I wasn’t a weirdo.
There are many activities a teenager can do at 16 on Halloween in lieu of trick-or-treating. Since you’re able to have your permit at that age, you can be independent and ask your parents if you can drive to the movies or go to a Halloween party with people of the same age. Come on, anyone would agree that it is so creepy to see a teenager in a grotesque costume among children so young, they literally learned how to walk two years prior.
All I know is if I were handing out treats during Halloween in New Brunswick, I’d be glad to not have to buy more candy and instead use that money I saved towards literally anything else. This is all just another great reason to move to Canada.
Illustration by Christine Evans