A Call to Lower the Drinking Age

[Mermaid]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26271328/

Nearly a 100 college and university presidents have voiced their opinion that the drinking age be lowered from 21 to 18 years. What say you?

When I was a college student in New Hampshire a reporter polled me about whether the state should raise its drinking age up to 21 years (it was 18 at the time). So more than 30 years have elapsed and the question is still floating around. Is it because something obviously does not work?

Pros and cons to both sides, the most glaring of which are (pro) it reduces traffic fatalities and (con) there is too much dangerous and potentially fatal underage binge drinking going on.

It's a difficult and prickley issue to deal with whatever is decided.

 

[Smiling JOe]

make it 18! The only reason it is 21 in all 57 states, oh wait, that was Obama's United States, I mean in all 50 States, is because if the drinking age isn't 21 in a state, the Federal Gov't cuts 10% from that state's highway funds. I can see college President's being for lowering it to 18, in order to decrease liability and to not have to police it.

If you can vote for the candidates to run this gov't and go to war to die for this country, being placed in charge of $20 million jets, loaded with bombs, I think you should be able to drink alcohol legally. What is balanced about the status quo?

 

[Miss Critter]

I heard this story on NPR this morning. The reasoning behind the push by some college administrators to lower the drinking is that they cannot legally address responsible drinking to students under the age of 21. Since we all know that few students wait until legal age to drink, there is some merit to the idea. That said, I grew up in New Orleans, where drinking - both legal and underage - was ubiquitous and not discouraged. I went to college at the U of Alabama in the middle of the baptist belt, where drinking - both legal and underage - was highly discouraged, yet also ubiquitious.

A better question to address is: why do young adults feel the need to get plastered as often as possible? I wish I knew the answer to that one. Then we might start to see some progress.

I am, however, in favor of anything that reduces the number of drunk drivers on the roads. As tragic as it is for young people to suffer the consequences of their own poor choices, it's far more tragic when innocent lives are forever shattered or lost due to someone else's poor decisions.

 

[scooterbug44]

IMO the issue is not at what age kids can legally start drinking, it is the attitudes and behavior of those drinking. Responsible consumption is so far from reality/the norm it's ridiculous. Binge drinking is a HUGE issue for schools and it keeps getting worse.

People constantly use Europe's 18 year old drinking age as an example, but because the attitudes and penalties are so different it isn't an accurate comparison.

My college made it "legal" for you to drink underage in the dorms so that they could monitor/control it better. They knew that we'd do it anyway so it was better that we do it where there was a support staff and some rules to curb the behavior. That was in a very controlled environment and didn't solve the problem, but it did help prevent some deaths and injuries.

 

[ckhagen]

I agree it needs to be dropped to 18.
Once you're an adult... that's it... no more age contingencies on laws. Either they drop it to 18 or up the age at which you become an "adult" to 21... at which point 18 y/o's going to war would have to be classified as children.

 

[scooterbug44]

Based on what I've seen over the years, being "responsible" or "adult" has very little to do with drinking! :roll:

 

[ronfrazer]

Keeping in mind all the excellent points already made, and remembering my own drunken college days, I'd say lower the drinking age to 18 but educate young people about the dangers to their health and safety. I'm concerned about their brains that are still developing and they need all the brain cells they can get.

Make it cool to drink responsibly--and not cool to puke on your shoes, or someone else's shoes.

 

[ckhagen]

Based on what I've seen over the years, being "responsible" or "adult" has very little to do with drinking! :roll:

Well, unless we can come up with some kind of way to test responsibility age is unfortunately the only means they have to judge by or even attempt to limit by.

I totally agree adult does not equal responsible. I know 50 y/o men that are less responsible than certain 18 y/o's.

 

[scooterbug44]

That was in response to the "if you can do this at 18, you should be able to do this" argument.

Saying they want to change it because they can't advocate moderation and common sense to underage drinkers is a total cop-out. All you do is start with "don't drink until you're 21 because it's illegal etc." and you're covered.

 

[30ashopper]

Imagine all the money we'd save if we lowered or eliminated the drinking age and de-criminalized marijuana and other soft drugs. Utopia isn't a realistic goal when your dealing with a race as imperfect as our own.