What should the drinking age be in the US?

[CornishChris 5]

Having a chat with an American friend last night about the drinking age in the US.

In the UK it is 18. In many countries it is lower (lots in Europe) and in a few it is higher.

At 18 you are technically an adult - you can vote, marry etc. but not have a drink in the US. Obviously it will almost certainly not change - I'd like to see the politician with the balls to table this motion and how he got torn apart by the right (although it may motivate the young voters).

There are many good reasons to have it high - people are less likely to drink and drive when they first start driving. Health etc. however many many people abuse it. I was first served in a pub at 15 - how many of you drank under age - I'd be willing to guess it's most. In France, for example, many kids have a beer or wine with dinner from early teens - does that mean they are better educated on booze and it is less of a forbidden fruit?

So what should the age be, hypothetically, and why?

CJP

Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

[davjohns 1]

This is a good point. We allow children to drive at 16. They are not legally responsible for their actions until 18. They can vote at 18, but are not responsible enough to drink until 21. In Alabama, they can have sex and create a baby at 16...don't get me started.

I have issues with government drawing all these lines that don't make sense. It seems to remove the parent as the decision maker, but leave the parent with responsibility.

Personally, if we are going to draw a line, let's make one line and call it quits. At 18, you can make babies, drive, vote, drink, whatever. You are also absolutely responsible for your own actions.

I know it just wouldnt be right to kill all the stupid people that we meet..

But do you think it would be appropriate to just remove all of the warning labels and let nature take its course.

[Southern_Man 0]

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At 18, you can make babies,

The government can try to regulate that however much they want, biology is in control on that one.

"What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

[oldwomanc6 60]

Among all the other reasons stated, if you are old enough to serve, fight and possibly die for your country, you are old enough to drink.

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[Gravitymaster 0]

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Among all the other reasons stated, if you are old enough to serve, fight and possibly die for your country, you are old enough to drink.

I disagree. People mature differently. Some clearly do not have the maturity to serve, fight or vote, simply based on the number of years they have been on the Earth.

[piisfish 140]

you forgot the >21 option. Did you already see americans getting drunk ? they can't behave... or they behave like 13yr old europeans when binge drinking... They shouldn't be allowed to drink. Ever. Unless they pass a drinking license.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[oldwomanc6 60]

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Among all the other reasons stated, if you are old enough to serve, fight and possibly die for your country, you are old enough to drink.

I disagree. People mature differently. Some clearly do not have the maturity to serve, fight or vote.

I agree that many 18 yr-olds don't have the maturity to do so, but the question was about the legality of it. It may be an arbitrary age, but there it is. That it's been decided that 18 is old enough to die, but not old enough to drink seems to me a little two-faced.

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[Remster 30]

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you forgot the >21 option. Did you already see americans getting drunk ? they can't behave... or they behave like 13yr old europeans when binge drinking... They shouldn't be allowed to drink. Ever. Unless they pass a drinking license.

That should apply to Brits too!

Remster

[Marinus 0]

Over here it's 16 (18 for booze and other stuff with high alcohol content) and it should be raised to 18 ASAP IMNSHO. I would prefer 21 even but that's impossible without rewriting the constitution (me thinks). AFAICS a lower age for drinking sends a clear signal to parents that alcohol is in fact a fun and harmless thing. As a result lowbrows with kids often let those kids drink before they turn sixteen, resulting in addiction and other harm.

I think I had my first drink when I was 14 but I hardly drank alcohol until I was 20 or so.

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

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Among all the other reasons stated, if you are old enough to serve, fight and possibly die for your country, you are old enough to drink.

I disagree. People mature differently. Some clearly do not have the maturity to serve, fight or vote, simply based on the number of years they have been on the Earth.

Well, then the age of maturity should be raised for voting, joining the military, signing contracts, working in hazardous jobs, and on and on and on. I agree that there should be one standard for this sort of thing (with certain exceptions like driving).

It seems to me that 21 year olds who have just become legal to drink don't behave any differently than (in my youth) 18 year olds who had just become legal to drink.

They revel in their new "adulthood" and learn the hard way that there are consequences for their behavior. Some have easier lessons (hangovers, minor damage/injuries) others have much harder lessons (serious injuries, killing other people, dying themselves).

Interstingly, while a person can get a commercial driver's license at 18, to operate in interstate commerce (crossing any state line) the federal rules mandate a minimum age of 21.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[Gravitymaster 0]

That's the problem with arbitrary age designations. Some States allow someone to drive a car at the age of 16. Would you support lowering the age to enter the military to 16 just based on this?

[firemedic 7]

I think it oftenl boils down to the old saying, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." When a group makes a loud enough noise, like making a campaign out of an issue, action gets taken. Someone decided that 21 was an appropriate age to legally drink in the US and got a bunch of other people to agree. It got make into a political issue and "presto", law passed. I know this may be a simplistic way to look at it but I just don't see it as being that complicated. Make enough noise, draw a crowd and get something done, even if it doesn't make sense.

[Shotgun 1]

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Among all the other reasons stated, if you are old enough to serve, fight and possibly die for your country, you are old enough to drink.

I don't know what the age should be, but I agree here. If you're considered old/mature enough to serve in the military, then you should also be allowed to make decisions about putting alcohol (or any other drugs) into your body.

And now that I'm an old fart, I think 16 is too young for driving. I remember how I drove at 16, and I wasn't even trying to text at the same time.

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

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That's the problem with arbitrary age designations. Some States allow someone to drive a car at the age of 16. Would you support lowering the age to enter the military to 16 just based on this?

Maybe, under limited conditions (non-hazardous jobs, no posting to a combat zone ect.). IIRC, 17 year olds can enlist and go to boot camp (someone who actually knows will more that likely correct or clarify this).

Unfortunately, just like using jump numbers for downsizing or camera use, you have to have something. And age is the best choice we have. It isn't perfect, but unless you want to subject everyone to some sort of "adulthood" test, then we're stuck with it.

The nightmare of creating any sort of "adulthood" tests makes me shiver. Not being able to vote, or enter a contract or even jump from a plane until you pass something mandated by the govenment is far too Orwellian for me.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[Nataly 38]

I think 18 is a good minimum age in general... For drinking, for driving, for joining the military, for being considered an "adult" by the law... Heck, it's still pretty immature for most people, but ya gotta start being responsible/liable at some point...

"There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse."
- Chris Hadfield
« Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. »
- my boss

[Coreece 190]

I suppose I tend to be indifferent on the drinking age, but what really grinds my gears are the penalties for underage drinking.

I believe in most states underage drinking was upgraded to a misdemeanor...I think it should go back to being a civil infraction.

I knew an 18 year old student who was drinking at a high school graduation party. He was arrested for minor in possession and thrown into jail for the whole summer before college...90 days, the max for first offense misdemeanor.

Another story was when I was 20 years old in college and had been drinking on my birthday. When I got home I had the radio on a little too loud. The walls in my apartment were paper thin and the neighbor called the police instead of asking me to turn it down. By the time the cops came the radio was already off. When I opened the door they smelled alcohol on my breath gave me a PBT and proceeded to remove me from my own home and arrest me. (for the record, I was completely cooperative and respectful through the whole detention.)

one good thing about the M.I.P laws is that the criminal conviction is removed from you criminal record after a couple years, I'm assuming because you're being charged as a minor? Now in Michigan, even though it's removed from your criminal record, they also add it to your DRIVING RECORD permanently...what kind of shit is that?

I know another guy who had a clean criminal record but had two M.I.P's on his driving record. He was arrested for driving while impaired (.08 under the legal limit) after not making a complete stop while exiting a supermarket parking lot. Not only did he get probation and fines, he also got a short jail sentence on top of that for first offense, and it wasn't even a real DUI. It's my opinion that those MIP's on his driving record were what influenced the judge to give him a jail sentence and reject the origal conditions of the plea agreement.

Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are...

[billvon 3,107]

It was 18 when I first got to college. We didn't have many problems with alcohol. While I was there it was raised to 21 - and suddenly we had a lot of problems with alcohol.

[jclalor 12]

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I disagree. People mature differently. Some clearly do not have the maturity to serve, fight or vote, simply based on the number of years they have been on the Earth.

[Gravitymaster 0]

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I disagree. People mature differently. Some clearly do not have the maturity to serve, fight or vote, simply based on the number of years they have been on the Earth.

But their always mature enough for the death penalty.

[Remster 30]

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It was 18 when I first got to college. We didn't have many problems with alcohol. While I was there it was raised to 21 - and suddenly we had a lot of problems with alcohol.

The more taboo and illegal it is, the more appealing it becomes.

Remster

[shropshire 0]

If you can serve and DIE for your country, the least they can do is let you have a before before hand!

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[SivaGanesha 2]

Many lines tend to be drawn regarding the age of 'adulthood' but IMHO the really important one is the age at which parents can legally refuse to continue to support their kids and kick them out of the home. At that point the young adults have, for all intents and purposes, the responsibilities of adulthood. Being able to drink, at that point, IMHO is a right because it may affect their ability to support themselves--something the law requires them to do--for example in a job serving alcohol.

IMHO this should apply to ALL jobs, even the US presidency. No job should have an age restriction higher than the age at which someone is legally responsible for supporting themselves.

"It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

[Shotgun 1]

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Being able to drink, at that point, IMHO is a right because it may affect their ability to support themselves--something the law requires them to do--for example in a job serving alcohol.

The drinking age does not necessarily apply to serving alcohol. I was legally bartending at 18 even though I couldn't legally drink (drinking age was 21).

[jclalor 12]

I went 12 years with out a drink..... Then I turned 13

[dpreguy 14]

It is not possible to have a "Drinking age in US" because we are a federal form of government. The 10th Amendment to the US Constitution only permits the US Governemt the power to enact laws where such powers are set forth in the Consitution. Not exactly the same topic as intended, I guess, but just so you know there are 50 states and each may have their own age limits. Our US Gevernment withholds funds from states that don't enact certain laws, so it uses this as a form of economic coercion, to get the states to pass state laws in conformance with the desires of some of our agencies. Example: my state is penalized because our legislture won't pass a mototcycle helmet law. Anyway, Could have 50 different alcohol age laws in 50 states if they wanted to.