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Legal drinking age?

What should the legal drinking age be?

  • Bring back Prohibition.

    Votes: 4 4.3%
  • Older than 21. Raise it even higher!

    Votes: 2 2.2%
  • Leave it at 21 (in the USA).

    Votes: 17 18.5%
  • 20

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 19

    Votes: 1 1.1%
  • 18

    Votes: 44 47.8%
  • 17

    Votes: 2 2.2%
  • 16

    Votes: 4 4.3%
  • Below 16.

    Votes: 3 3.3%
  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 15 16.3%

  • Total voters
    92
Americans aren't culturally uptight about anything, teenagers drinking is almost a right of passage and is commonplace.
Really? With few exceptions in the US you cannot have an open container in public. You can't buy alcohol past 9 or 10, or on Sundays in many states. Middle-aged customers are still carded when they go to the grocery store. Compared to many countries, that's quite uptight.

As for "anything" ... ha, a woman's breast is shown and this country has a seizure. :doh
 
I say lower it to 16, in Canada it is either 19 in most provinces on 18 in Qubec or Alberta though Quebec will probably sell it to you at a lower age. I think that is too high, I went on exchange to Belgium where the age is 16 and I saw no negative consequences of that. Kids are going to get it one way or another anyways. The idea of the drinking age being 21 is absurd to very other country in the world.

Yippee. I'm for lowering the age, but I couldn't give two ****s what other countries think about it.
 
Yippee. I'm for lowering the age, but I couldn't give two ****s what other countries think about it.

The U.S. is not some magical void by itself. It is clear that having the age of 21 is ludicrous and a failure, join the rest of the world.
 
The U.S. is not some magical void by itself. It is clear that having the age of 21 is ludicrous and a failure, join the rest of the world.

1) It doesn't affect "the rest of the world" in the slightest.

2) On what basis is it a "failure"?

3) What benefit is it to "the rest of the world" if we do?

I, personally, as I said, do not give the first flying **** what the rest of the world thinks about it. Sorry if that offends you. Actually, no, that's a flat out lie; I'm not the slightest bit sorry.
 
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How about: You can drink or drive between 18 and 21: pick one.




This is actually not a bad idea, we could pass laws which say that anyone under the age of 21 who is caught using alcohol can't have a drivers license until they are at least 21.

And let the judge choose the actual age based on circumstances.
 
John, with all due respect. You've heard the expression..."Give a kid an inch and they take a mile." Kids can justify almost anything. Underage drinking is against the law. While a parents might convince themselves that their kid would only drink at home under their supervision...is very naive thinking.

There are kids who are genetically predisposed to alcoholism. Unfortunately there's no test to determine who will become dependent.




Correct.

for some people one drink is too many and a thousand will never be enough.
 
This is actually not a bad idea, we could pass laws which say that anyone under the age of 21 who is caught using alcohol can't have a drivers license until they are at least 21.

No, it's a terrible idea. Every teenager would pick driving over drinking and pretty much all of them would still drink.

And let the judge choose the actual age based on circumstances.

??
 
This is actually not a bad idea, we could pass laws which say that anyone under the age of 21 who is caught using alcohol can't have a drivers license until they are at least 21.

And let the judge choose the actual age based on circumstances.

Responsible driving carries at least as much weight as responsible drinking. Mixing the two, at any age, only leads to disaster.
 
That no one follows it? :lol:

That's demonstrably untrue, and to the extent that people don't follow it, that's an argument for every law being a "failure."

Prohibition was a failure. Drug prohibition now is a failure. It not only encouraged that activity it was supposed to prevent, it (both) begat serious negative consequences which were worse than the original problem. The drinking age being 21 does none of that.

That said, I still favor it being lowered, because 18 is adulthood.
 
I know that I'm not the first (in this thread even) to have this opining, but I feel that the drinking age rules should be eliminated.

Not 21, not 25, not 18 or 16 either.

Prohibition, of any sort, has never worked. If people want to drink, let them drink
.



So you would support throwing out all of the laws, doing away with law enforcement, and let everyone do whatever they want to do,eh?

I'm sure that some Libertarians will support that idea.
 
That's demonstrably untrue, and to the extent that people don't follow it, that's an argument for every law being a "failure."

If the majority of people are ignoring your law, then yes, it is a failure. People have to accept a law to some degree for it to work. The government can't just impose force on the people and have the people all flip them off in return and be considered effective in their job.
 
The USA doesn't make its laws based on what people do in Europe. There are a lot of big differences between European countries and the USA.

Tell that to liberals and progressives. :lol:
 
I say lower it to 16, in Canada it is either 19 in most provinces on 18 in Qubec or Alberta though Quebec will probably sell it to you at a lower age. I think that is too high, I went on exchange to Belgium where the age is 16 and I saw no negative consequences of that. Kids are going to get it one way or another anyways. The idea of the drinking age being 21 is absurd to very other country in the world.

Back in the day we didnt have photos on our drivers licences in Quebec (they have 'em now). Basically If you were 16 and couldnt get into a bar there was something wrong with you. As I dont frequent bars anymore I cannot say how it is now. Not that i was every any good at tellings someones age by looking at them anyway.
They do have 0 tolerance for alcohol when on a lerners permit and for the first 2 years afterwards.
Québec - New Driver Requirements
 
Responsible driving carries at least as much weight as responsible drinking. Mixing the two, at any age, only leads to disaster.




Which is a damn good reason to continue to restrict the sale of alcohol to those over age 21.

And to come down hard on those who break the law.
 
Back in the day we didnt have photos on our drivers licences in Quebec (they have 'em now). Basically If you were 16 and couldnt get into a bar there was something wrong with you. As I dont frequent bars anymore I cannot say how it is now. Not that i was every any good at tellings someones age by looking at them anyway.
They do have 0 tolerance for alcohol when on a lerners permit and for the first 2 years afterwards.
Québec - New Driver Requirements

I imagine it is the same in all provinces.
 
If the majority of people are ignoring your law

I don't know that there's any data showing there is this "majority." Sure, underage kids drink. But liquor establishments comply with the law. And a majority of kids drinking underage, outside the law (which generally allows for parental-supervised drinking)? The idea that it's some universal phenomenon, routinely flouted, is anecdotal at best.

And if they do, what are the negative consequences? Data actually show that teenage drunk driving has decreased since the drinking age was raised, so that, at least, IS successful.


People have to accept a law to some degree for it to work. The government can't just impose force on the people and have the people all flip them off in return and be considered effective in their job.

Yes, read what I said above about prohibition. Complete prohibition doesn't work, but that doesn't mean regulation doesn't.
 
It doesn't matter if the two are or are not related.At 18 you are a legal adult.As a legal adult you should be able to drink alcohol.

Soldiers and marines 21 and over do not get to drink while engaging in war, so you bringing up an irrelevant point. They do get to drink when off duty unless they are on alert.

I understand your points. I've been in the military.

However...the OP isn't just about individuals in the military. The vast majority of those between 18 and 21 aren't in the military. But they are active young people who drive cars, motorcycles, work, go to college, etc.

The effects of alcohol are unpredictable from individual to individual. But there's a hell of lot of statistics available that clearly shows why younger individuals are more likely to be at risk of self destructive behaviors in a variety of ways.

People want to equate the age of 18 to adulthood as though that some magic line is crossed that suddenly overrides physiology and life wisdom and maturity is suddenly instilled. That's simply not true.

People have to remember that alcohol is a mind altering chemical. It affects mind and body in very unpredictable ways.

I'm sure the following won't make any difference to you...and probably a lot of other posters, but it offers some insight to some of the things I'm talking about:

http://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/237145.pdf

Thanks...
 
Which is a damn good reason to continue to restrict the sale of alcohol to those over age 21.

And to come down hard on those who break the law.

Wouldn't that imply that with age comes wisdom? ;) I have seen many old fools.
 
So have I, but a lot more young ones.

Why do you think that countries send young men to war?

Because they can instill in young men the desirable mindset.
 
Really? With few exceptions in the US you cannot have an open container in public. You can't buy alcohol past 9 or 10, or on Sundays in many states. Middle-aged customers are still carded when they go to the grocery store. Compared to many countries, that's quite uptight.

As for "anything" ... ha, a woman's breast is shown and this country has a seizure. :doh
Well, I wasn't talking about drinking in public. That's another story.
 
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