College Presidents trying to lower drinking age to 18

[NoAngleDangler 0]

"RALEIGH, North Carolina - College presidents from about 100 of the best-known U.S. universities, including Duke, Dartmouth and Ohio State, are calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, saying current laws actually encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus."

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

[RadioGaGa 162]

The States is in the minority at 21...why not come down.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_drinking_age

[juiced 0]

"saying current laws actually encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus."

i agree with that.

[Keith 0]

If you're old enough to vote, get married, and old enough to go to war, you should be old enough to drink.... Case closed.

[chef_ducky 0]

I agree. Canada isn't as bad at 19, but if they can take you to war, you should be of age to drink!

[Smitty34 0]

Kids these days are already drinking at that age anyway, so why not?

[5minutesforfighting 0]

Exactly. Between 18 and 21 you're going to be able to drink at college anyway. Why not let the police worry about more serious stuff instead of the drinking underage charges.

[All Torhs Team 0]

Cause years ago it was dropped to 18 and to much crap went on so they moved it back to 21. If they moved it back down again and needed to raise it to 21 again they would make the US look like a bunch of fools.

Its like the government going back on their word twice, and they would be worried they might have to go back on it a third time.

[Balmer15 0]

It should be lowered, I agree with the adult thing, if you can vote, why not drink?but then again the age here is 18, which means 14 year olds are drinking in parks at night...

[kilner 0]

If you're old enough to vote, get married, and old enough to go to war, you should be old enough to drink.... Case closed.

Thats exactly the same argument we had over here when they was gunna up the smoking age to 18 (which they did) and up the drinking age to 21 (which they didn't).

[Tricky4L 0]

It was originally raised to 21 in 1984 due in part to the massive lobbying efforts of MADD (Mothers against drunk driving). This became a federal act that would have greatly penalized state's federal highway funding if they did not comply with the national age of 21.

With steady cuts in federal transportation budgets, many states (especially those with toll roads & revenue) are picking up a larger share to create new and maintain existing interstate roads. This has led to a louder call for some states to abandon complicity with the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 and set their own drinking ages. This issue usually picks up some steam and momentum every 2 or 3 years but as we all know, nothing has materialized.

When I was under 21 I always had the same outrage as everyone else over having to wait for a seemingly arbitrary age. After turning 21 I've kinda become a bit more conservative in this setting. I totally agree that if you can choose to go to war (or forced via the draft), then you should totally be able to have a pint...or shot I guess. But I know too many stupid sods that I wouldn't trust to sit the right way on a toilet seat, let alone act reasonably around alcohol especially while still being relatively new to driving. As a result I'm left without firm footing on this issue.

[kilner 0]

I totally agree that if you can choose to go to war (or forced via the draft)

??

[mrusse01 0]

Lower the age you are allowed to drink.

Increase (by a lot) the penalties for drunk driving.

[chef_ducky 0]

Lower the age you are allowed to drink.

Increase (by a lot) the penalties for drunk driving.

I don't believe that. Like already mentioned, kids about 17 and can get alcohol so easy nowadays, so i don't believe that it will increase it alot.

[kosydar 0]

Leave it at 21. I don't want 18 year olds at bars.

[lawryde 0]

Leave it at 21. I don't want 18 year olds at bars.

HA HA! I second that!

[EBondo 233]

It should be lowered, I agree with the adult thing, if you can vote, why not drink?but then again the age here is 18, which means 14 year olds are drinking in parks at night...

14 year olds in America do it. It's a universal thing. Once kids hit high school, they wanna be in with the cool kids. We have kids go over to Germany every two years, what do you think they're most excited about before they leave? Being legally able to drink.

Do yourself a favor America, lower it and focus on bigger things like getting our troops out of Iraq ASAP

[JR Boucicaut 3803]

Things are deemed more attractive when there's taboo attached to it.

When I lived in the Dominican Republic, I was able to buy a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of rum at 8 - dad used to send me to the store. Not once did I smoke or drink underage.

[mrusse01 0]

Lower the age you are allowed to drink.

Increase (by a lot) the penalties for drunk driving.

I don't believe that. Like already mentioned, kids about 17 and can get alcohol so easy nowadays, so i don't believe that it will increase it alot.

No, I mean the government should lower the drinking age, but greatly increase the penatlies for those who are caught drunk driving.

[Spreedizzle 1]

A couple of points in here I sincerely agree with:

Increase the current penalties on any DUI convictions. 1 yr automatic suspension of license on the first offense should be the minimum penalty in my opinion. Too many convictions in this country with lackadaisical penalties (of course this varies state to state).

I also agree that I do not want to have 18 year olds in bars. Combine adolescent arrogance, with liquid courage, and you are instantly calmly enjoying your post-game pint as some 18 yr old prick decides to pick a fight in the bar. Not what I want to be surrounded by personally.

[cxo 0]

18 year olds can already get in bars here, just get their hands X'ed up. I don't know if it's the same everywhere else, but 18 year-olds are no worse than 21 year-olds. Like the article says, there isn't much maturity difference within those three years.

Agreed with JR too, I remember my dad telling me how my grandpa used to send him down to the store to buy him cigarettes and beer when he was still playing little league. He smokes now, but didn't start until his late teens.

This type of stuff depends on the person, not necessarily the law itself.

[pantherfan 0]

If you're old enough to vote, get married, and old enough to go to war, you should be old enough to drink.... Case closed.

Thats exactly the same argument we had over here when they was gunna up the smoking age to 18 (which they did) and up the drinking age to 21 (which they didn't).

My understanding of it was to increase the age where you are able to buy tobacco but not ban under 18's from smoking, just from purchasing.

If the U.S/CA is anything like Britain then all the age laws for alcohol do is limit where "minors" drink, it's gonna happen either way, it's just if you'd prefer to see them roaming the streets with bottles of Vodka or in a bar/club spewing their guts up. ;)

[Jason Harris 31]

Conceptually, there's nothing wrong with lowering the drinking age. In fact, I'd rather see parents introduce their children to alcohol at a much younger age -- yet teach them how to be responsible.

That said, here's the counter argument. The gist is that there has been an 11% drop in alcohol related traffic fatalities since the drinking age was increased to 21. And there are 7% less alcohol related traffic fatalities in those states that crack down on fake ID's.

For those of you who are younger, the thing many of you don't realize is we essentially are socialized by our peers to be binge drinkers. I remember once around 21 when I was lying on the bathroom floor wondering whether I should continue to fight the inevitable or just throw up and go to sleep. The next morning I had an epiphany that, "Wow, I don't have to throw up when I drink. I can just take one less drink." I chose the word 'epiphany' purposefully, because that's what it seemed like even though it should have been a no-brainer, but years of drinking on the weekend with my friends had taught me to keep drinking throughout the night -- with the preordained pilgrimage to the porcelain mecca as a result. Ball games are no different. I went to my first couple of ball games, bought a couple of beers, then realized afterward I hardly followed the action. In today's dollars, not only was $30 for the ticket down the drain but so was $15 for two beers.

The point I'm making is I'd rather see parents be able to teach their children (regardless of age) that it's okay to occasionally have alcohol, but we have to make sure we remain in control -- particularly when driving is involved. If that means 2 ounces for Sally and 50 ounces for Bobby, so be it. If kids were raised that way, I'd have no problem with lowering the drinking age. However, the statistics show otherwise, with more people dead due to resultant bad decisions.

[Smitty34 0]

Things are deemed more attractive when there's taboo attached to it.

When I lived in the Dominican Republic, I was able to buy a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of rum at 8 - dad used to send me to the store. Not once did I smoke or drink underage.

I totally agree with that. I have friends that have said one of the most appealing parts of drinking underage is the fact that it is taboo.

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

im for dropping it to 19, but maybe not 18. You have a decent number of 18 year olds still in HS, along with 14 year olds. doing 19 will still make it a hassel for high schoolers to get booze, the ones that were going to get it still can and will. The ones that werent will still have a reduced amount of avenues to get booze.

But if you're old enough to be in college, there's not reason why 19 year olds cant drink and write papers without having RAs threatening to bust em all the time.

as I got older, i certainly slowed down through sophomore and junior year (i wasnt 21, but it wasnt a big deal anymore) When i turned 21 i went crazy again and lived it upp senior year, but that was more of enjoying freedom while i still had it.