Should the drinking age be lowered from 21 to 18

[ShyGuyInChicago]

Part of the reason the law is that way is because Alcohol can cause damage to undeveloped brains and brains usually complete development in the early 20s. Because of that I agree with the law. However, others feel that since one is a legal adult at 18 they should be able to drink. Some colleges feel that the drinking age should be lowered. They feel that is will solve the problem of binge drinking because college students are more likely to do such things because they are newly independent but still banned from drinking. Plus healthy drinking habits can also be modeled. What do you think?

[DarkHorses]

Just because you're legally considered an adult at eighteen doesn't mean you're mature enough for drinking yet. It would be easier for people not of the drinking age to get their hands on alcohol. I read somewhere once that younger people are less capable of being in control when they consume alcohol. So when they drink it can lead to them partaking in risky behavior, and could lead to a lot of accidents. Also, the younger you start drinking the more likely you are to become dependent on alcohol later on your life. I don't really see any reason to change the law, but I see plenty of reasons not to.

[ackmedsgirl666]

i think that the law shud not be changed because ppl abuse the alcohol laws
when ppl drink they get addicted and then abuse themselves
its ok to have a drink every once in a while but not to the point where u are drinking a whole 24 to ur face. i think it shud be kept the same because relaistically drinking is meant as an adult sport not something for young teens
i have a friend for example who started drinking when he was 12 and now at 19 hes seriously addicted.so yeah it shouldn't change
thats just my opinion

[Perseus]

If you are able to die for your country at eighteen, you should be able to drink alcohol.

[ackmedsgirl666]

drinking and serving in the army are two different things
i see your point in what u are implying but i dunno
thats a good point actually

[Rainstorm]

I agree with Jake on this one. If you can drive, vote for your leaders, fight for your country, and legal age to move out, you should be allowed to drink.

Of course, I'd rather it be 19, as at 18, many students are still in High School, which could result more students at younger ages in High School getting alcohol at parties, but in either case, it should be lowered.

[scuba steve]

Exactly. If the drinking age is 21 they're just going to get their hands on it some other way when they're 18. In Britain the drinking age is 18 and it's no worse than the U.S minors still get into pubs and clubs, still get alcohol into their hands and still get very drunk. In my eyes you can't stop it at all, it's completely up to the individual to know what to do.

[ackmedsgirl666]

yes that is true
well i doubt they will ever lower it again
we can all argue like fuck they already here in canada changed the age to drive( was 16 is now 18) like just because one person is irresponsible we all lose out likew wtf is that all aboput??

[Sith Lord 13]

I believe the drinking age should be removed entirely. By making you be 21 to drink, it's creating an air of mystique and making alcohol more attractive than it should be. In Italy, there is no drinking age, (Except for being served in public places, then it's 16) and the rates of alcoholism are much lower there. By restricting it to 21+ here, it makes it seem special and thus desirable. In Italy, it's seen as just another drink, nothing special.

[Nathaniel]

Oh EASJR1991, I see that you've made your way to VT too! :P

Anyway, I don't care what the legal drinking age is because I'm probably going to drink regardless.

[steve1234]

Legal ages don't make the slightest bit of difference. If someone wants to get drink they will get it. It doesn't just mean buying it from shops, as they can just get it from other friends or their parents. Even before I was eighteen, all my friends could easily get alcohol, and every party I go to there is alcohol. This is why there is no point having laws. They should just teach about the damage alcohol can do at school, then let people make their own decisions about whether or not to drink it.

If someone wants to get so drunk they end up damaging their brains and livers, then let them do it.

[ShyGuyInChicago]

Oh EASJR1991, I see that you've made your way to VT too! :P

Anyway, I don't care what the legal drinking age is because I'm probably going to drink regardless.

Yeah. I joined for laughs and to see what it is like. When I made a post in the introduction forum someone told me that VT is better than GT:P

[Amnesiac]

The drinking age is almost as pointless as the age of consent, only much more enforceable. I'd have no problem lowering it to 18, it would have pretty much no effect on the number of under-18 teens drinking anyway.

[ShyGuyInChicago]

The drinking age is almost as pointless as the age of consent, only much more enforceable. I'd have no problem lowering it to 18, it would have pretty much no effect on the number of under-18 teens drinking anyway.

Why do you feel that the age of consent is pointless. Do you fell that people of any age should be able to have sex with out the older person facing jail time?

[lebowski]

i've always thought that it is weird that people are allowed to drive (potentially endangering other peoples lives) and also have sex (so have a baby - so be responsible for someone elses life) before they are able to drink alcohol and finally have the responsiblity to decide when and how much to drink legally... i dunno though. it seems like a sensible law to impose although the legality of alcohol and the illegality of other arguably less dangerous drugs is weird too.

it should probably just stay as it is as a social norm has obviously been imposed :)))

[Amnesiac]

Why do you feel that the age of consent is pointless. Do you fell that people of any age should be able to have sex with out the older person facing jail time?

No, because, as I have said many times, it is not enforceable. You can't just go into people's houses and check if teens are having sex. Privacy laws prevent that. Almost the same with drinking, although you can prevent the sale of alcohol to minors.

[ShyGuyInChicago]

No, because, as I have said many times, it is not enforceable. You can't just go into people's houses and check if teens are having sex. Privacy laws prevent that. Almost the same with drinking, although you can prevent the sale of alcohol to minors.

So when it comes to statutory rape and child molestation should parents be able to deal with it on their own however they choose even if it involves beating or killing someone that had sex with their underaged child.

[Amnesiac]

So when it comes to statutory rape and child molestation should parents be able to deal with it on their own however they choose even if it involves beating or killing someone that had sex with their underaged child.

Where are you getting the idea that I'm implying every sex-related law should be thrown out? I'm talking specifically about teenagers and how, when it comes to teenage sex which is present in every high school in the United States, the age of consent isn't enforceable. That doesn't suddenly mean rape and molestation laws are thrown out too.

[ShyGuyInChicago]

Where are you getting the idea that I'm implying every sex-related law should be thrown out? I'm talking specifically about teenagers and how, when it comes to teenage sex which is present in every high school in the United States, the age of consent isn't enforceable. That doesn't suddenly mean rape and molestation laws are thrown out too.

Well I think that age of consent can be enforced to some extent and punishments can serve as a deterrent to some extent. Of course with jail people who commit such crimes can be removed from hour society.

You said age of consent be tween teens. So are saying that any teenager should be able to have sex with another teenager regardless of the age difference such as 13 and 16 or 14 and 19 and etc.

[Amnesiac]

Well I think that age of consent can be enforced to some extent and punishments can serve as a deterrent to some extent. Of course with jail people who commit such crimes can be removed from hour society.

You said age of consent be tween teens. So are saying that any teenager should be able to have sex with another teenager regardless of the age difference such as 13 and 16 or 14 and 19 and etc.

Between teenagers would be 13 (or, in my opinion, 14) to 18. I just think the age of consent is a pointless law because it's so incredibly difficult to enforce and results in so little arrests when compared to the immense number of teens having sex. That does not mean I encourage rape or molestation in any way, nor do I encourage teens having sex with adults.

[ShyGuyInChicago]

Between teenagers would be 13 (or, in my opinion, 14) to 18. I just think the age of consent is a pointless law because it's so incredibly difficult to enforce and results in so little arrests when compared to the immense number of teens having sex. That does not mean I encourage rape or molestation in any way, nor do I encourage teens having sex with adults.

So there should be an age of consent but only between people age 13 and 18. Teens should not have sex with adults.

I should also point out that anyone could say that lots of laws should be repealed because the can't be enforced like assaults and murder and using illegal drugs and abusing/trafficking prescription drugs and vandalism. Am I right?

[Amnesiac]

So there should be an age of consent but only between people age 13 and 18. Teens should not have sex with adults.

I should also point out that anyone could say that lots of laws should be repealed because the can't be enforced like assaults and murder and using illegal drugs and abusing/trafficking prescription drugs and vandalism. Am I right?

Not for those crimes, no, because those are often reported and handled by police. Teen sex is usually handled by parents who refrain from reporting their own children to the police. Some parents give their teens condoms in advance in case anything happens.

But we're off topic. The drinking age can and should be lowered, it doesn't make sense to legally label someone an "adult" at 18 and then ban them from drinking until three years later. Legal adulthood should have one single age, not two different ages.

[ShyGuyInChicago]

Not for those crimes, no, because those are often reported and handled by police. Teen sex is usually handled by parents who refrain from reporting their own children to the police. Some parents give their teens condoms in advance in case anything happens.

But we're off topic. The drinking age can and should be lowered, it doesn't make sense to legally label someone an "adult" at 18 and then ban them from drinking until three years later. Legal adulthood should have one single age, not two different ages.

I think it can be an exception because as I have learned in school alcohol can damage the brain and it is more damaging for younger people because brain development does not complete until the early 20s. So this could be an exception to the rule.

[Sith Lord 13]

I think it can be an exception because as I have learned in school alcohol can damage the brain and it is more damaging for younger people because brain development does not complete until the early 20s. So this could be an exception to the rule.

Actually it never truly stops, and doesn't peak until somewhere between your late 20's to mid 30's.

[huginnmuninn]

Actually it never truly stops, and doesn't peak until somewhere between your late 20's to mid 30's.

yea so you cant use the brain development thing as an excuse it should be lowered so people wouldnt try to hide their drinking and itd be easier to control if they did get drunk because people would be less worried about the legality of it and more concerned with safety

[ShyGuyInChicago]

yea so you cant use the brain development thing as an excuse it should be lowered so people wouldnt try to hide their drinking and itd be easier to control if they did get drunk because people would be less worried about the legality of it and more concerned with safety

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/17310184.html

If a 19-year-old can sign a contract and get married, shouldn't she be able to legally sip champagne at her own wedding? And if an 18-year-old can be sent to war in Iraq or Afghanistan, why can't he have a beer in a bar? Furthermore, teens will always find ways to drink -- why not let them do it legally?

A proposed bill at the Legislature this year poses these questions, but it provides the wrong answer. Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, proposes that the state lower the drinking age from 21 to 18. She believes that the current law setting it at 21 drives younger drinkers underground and encourages more dangerous behavior.

Kahn's bill places Minnesota among several states, including South Dakota and Wisconsin, that are exploring the idea. Some are considering putting the issue on the November ballot, while others are discussing exceptions for active-duty military personnel.

Trouble is, nearly all the research -- from health effects to highway accidents -- is on the other side. Overwhelmingly, the evidence supports a drinking age of 21.

Studies of the still-developing teenage brain show that adolescents are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of alcohol on learning, memory and judgment. And those who begin drinking in their early teens are at greater risk to become alcoholics.

In addition, the lower age limit was tried before -- and it didn't work. Similar concerns were raised in the 1970s during the Vietnam War, prompting many states to lower the drinking age. But in the following decade younger drunken drivers became a bigger issue than war or the military service. As a result, Congress said it would pull federal funds from states that did not set 21 as the drinking age. By 1988, every state was in compliance.

The results speak for themselves. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reported that the number of drunken drivers under age 21 involved in fatal crashes decreased by 61 percent from 1982 to 1998. The agency also estimated that tens of thousands of lives were saved from 1975 to 2003 by higher age limits.

And five years ago, the Centers for Disease Control reviewed 49 studies on drinking age laws. Nearly all of them found that a 21-year-old drinking age saved lives.

Minnesota Department of Public Safety officials oppose lowering the drinking age because of the high rates of young, inexperienced drivers in car accidents. In 2006, one in 10 drivers involved in crashes were 21 or under, and more than 600 people were killed or injured by an impaired underage driver.

We admit that it seems inconsistent that young men and women who can be sent to war can be too young to drink legally. Yet that's more an argument to raise the minimum age for military service than to lower the minimum age for drinking. There's nothing wrong with the fact that a kid can get a hunting license at age 12, drive at 16 and vote at 18, but not be eligible to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives until age 25.

When it comes to alcohol consumption, the health and safety issues make this an easy call for the Legislature: Minnesota should maintain 21 as the legal drinking age.

[Sith Lord 13]

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/17310184.html

Note your source is an editorial opinion, with no true statistics to back it up.

[Jess]

Just because you're legally considered an adult at eighteen doesn't mean you're mature enough for drinking yet. It would be easier for people not of the drinking age to get their hands on alcohol. I read somewhere once that younger people are less capable of being in control when they consume alcohol. So when they drink it can lead to them partaking in risky behavior, and could lead to a lot of accidents. Also, the younger you start drinking the more likely you are to become dependent on alcohol later on your life. I don't really see any reason to change the law, but I see plenty of reasons not to.

I agree with this. it shouldn't be lowered......why? What amore said. I agree with what she said

[Contra]

Well, here the drinking age is 16, and younger people are already trying to drink, so regardless of what the drinking age is, I think younger people, like 13 or 14 years old will still try to drink.
Nevertheless, I agree with Alex, it should be lowered so people wouldn't find it such an attractive thing, so they wouldn't feel the need to drink earlier. Besides, the argument of being an adult is a good argument, because even though you may not be mature enough yet, you are capable of making your own decisions, therefore you can choose whether you want to drink or not.
Our parents (at least mine) always said when we get older we would be able to make our own decisions and have more responsabilities. If when we are 18, a legal adult, we are able to make a lot of decisions and burden the weight of their consequences, we are able to drink if that's what we want.

[danielf123]

fuck no it shouldnt be
Alcohol is one of the hardest drugs we know of

your brain doesnt stop developing until your 25 at that
most people who are younger are much less responsible and sometimes TOO self-confident
we dont need even younger people getting into fucking car crashes cuz they drank and they "think" there good to go
plus its saying that its okay to drink at such a young age
(i for one, dont think Alcohol should be drunk at all because of the damage it does to the body, but thats my just opinion, i dont think it should be illegal cuz thats saying your not allowed to period, and thats wrong)
Lowering the drinking age? if the drinking age is lowered, why not then legalize Marijuana? Its a safer drug, doesnt harm your body the same way, and you can function fine while high (compared to you being drunk)

but the point is if anything, it should be raised

[INFERNO]

I think if you can vote, fight in the army and are free from being considered a child, you can drink. It's not an argument on maturity because people who are under 18 (or 21) can be more mature than someone in their 30's and up. The maturity argument also doesn't mean you can handle yourself because your judgment will be impaired (depends on amount you drink) so even if you were a mature 22 year-old, after your 8th beer you may be acting immaturely. It can be a hard law to enforce for people below 18 or 21 but that is no excuse to not have it because there need to be guidelines for society to follow. Otherwise, a 30-year old can be at a bar drunk with a 15-year old accompanied by her 12-year old friend who is completely plastered. It's like saying that it is hard to enforce people below the age to get a license driving a car as a reason to not bother with enforcing it.

[ahowardj88]

ppl drink regardless the age limit. the ppl will drink if it is legal or not and others wont regardless. they should allow 18 year olds to at least buy beer

[Gigablue]

I think it makes sense to lower it. People will drink anyway and will be mad if they can't drink legally as adults.

[Haufen]

No drinking age here, just a buying age, which is 16 and most people start drinking at about 14/15.

Ofcourse there will always be a couple of idiots who drink themselves into a coma, but most turn out fine.

[Cicero]

I believe it should be lowered to 14 or 16, but yes, 18 too haha

[XxAssasiNxX]

its 18 for drinking in Australia and you get your license at 18 aswell. trust me it should stay at 21. every time i get home from school i hear about.some idiots that killed themselvs by just crashing into a light pole. 18 is not mature enough. 21 is a good age. people are more responisible at that age.

[Twilly F. Sniper]

21. Maybe not even that.

[Bath]

This thread is from two years ago guys. Please don't bump old threads and when you see a bumped thread, report it and don't jump on the bandwagon.

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