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What should the drinking age be?

At what age should people be legally allowed to buy alcohol?


  • Total voters
    78

Kandahar

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John McCardell (president of Middlebury College) and 135 other college presidents have signed a statement that age 21 is much too high of an age limit for alcohol, and may result in more alcohol-related fatalities:

Commentary: Drinking age of 21 doesn't work - CNN.com


What do you think? What should the drinking age be? You can answer the poll from the perspective of a nationwide law or a state law, whichever you prefer.
 
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I think 18 would be more consistent. As the old argument goes, if you're old enough to die for your country, you're old enough to raise a toast to it.
 
Exactly.

The other point being that the argument for the 21 year age is that a person's judgement is not mature enough at 18 to make wise judgements....yet we allow 18 year olds to vote for the President of the United States.....:doh
 
Not to mention that the majority of 18-21 year olds that want to drink are already drinking regardless.
 
It's currently 21, and I don't see an overriding reason to change it. 18 might make more sense, but it's not worth the effort to change the laws.
 
John McCardell (president of Middlebury College) and 135 other college presidents have signed a statement that age 21 is much too high of an age limit for alcohol, and may result in more alcohol-related fatalities:

Commentary: Drinking age of 21 doesn't work - CNN.com


What do you think? What should the drinking age be? You can answer the poll from the perspective of a nationwide law or a state law, whichever you prefer.

Kandahar, I am presuming the notion you have trying to get at is to reduce drinking related crime and deaths no?

To me, I think the proposal you've given isn't correct in that context.

The drinking age in my view in such a context is really quite irrelevant. It is more of perceptions of alcohol rather than anything else. Remember that Europe for the most part has various laws from stringent to lax and the alcohol crime and death rates there on average are, far, far lower. Yet what we see is not the demonizing of alcohol. French kids when they are in their early teens often get some alcohol at dinner. Treating alcohol as something mundane early in life may significently reduce what we see in America. What's the push to have 21 shots on your 21st when you've had small amounts of alcohol since you were 10 and it's become mundane?

Here's an excellent example of family over government.
 
Exactly.

The other point being that the argument for the 21 year age is that a person's judgement is not mature enough at 18 to make wise judgements....yet we allow 18 year olds to vote for the President of the United States.....:doh
It really depends on the person.
Certain people are, and certain people aren't.
It has nothing to do with the age once you hit 18.
 
It really depends on the person.
Certain people are, and certain people aren't.
It has nothing to do with the age once you hit 18.

Absolutely. I agree. However, there is always going to be an "arbitrary" age. If you are considered for all intents and purposes of being an adult at 18, then there is really no reason to say "yeah..but...you are not adult enough to gamble or consume alcohol".
 
I see that there is no prohibition option.
 
Remember that Europe for the most part has various laws from stringent to lax and the alcohol crime and death rates there on average are, far, far lower.
I am assuming you are speaking of Western Europe when you're mentioning Europe here, as if you take Europe as a whole, their intentional homicides rate is pretty much the same as the United States'.
Of course, this is fully due to Eastern Europe's contribution.
 
I am assuming you are speaking of Western Europe when you're mentioning Europe here

Indeed. Particularly France.

as if you take Europe as a whole, their intentional homicides rate is pretty much the same as the United States'.
Of course, this is fully due to Eastern Europe's contribution.

Are those homicides alcohol related?
 
Absolutely. I agree. However, there is always going to be an "arbitrary" age. If you are considered for all intents and purposes of being an adult at 18, then there is really no reason to say "yeah..but...you are not adult enough to gamble or consume alcohol".

I agree.

We only need one age of consent. If you're legal, then you should be legal for all of it.
 
I agree.

We only need one age of consent. If you're legal, then you should be legal for all of it.

Exactly.....and it may not be popular with the younger people here....but personally, I think the driving age should be raised to 18 as well.
( I base this on looking back at my own self at 16. Didn't get into any wrecks but I did a lot of stupid things that easily could have resulted in bad consequences. And the reality is, there really wasn't any over-riding reason why I needed to be driving at 16. It made it easier for me to get to high school....but I think the exercise would have done me good)
 
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My view is that some drinks like beer and maybe wine should be at 18 and hard licoror should be at 21.
 
My view is that some drinks like beer and maybe wine should be at 18 and hard licoror should be at 21.

What difference does it make? You can get just as drunk on beer/wine as you can on tequila and whiskey.
 
What difference does it make? You can get just as drunk on beer/wine as you can on tequila and whiskey.

Ya, but most people will puke or black out from beer/wine before they get so drunk that it's dangerous. Whereas someone could easily down 10 shots of whiskey in 30 minutes and end up dead from alcohol poisoning.


Personally I would say 16 for beer/wine and 18 for harder liquor. But I think I'd want to reduce the beer/wine age to 18 first, to see how it worked out.
 
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I'd probably go for 16-18.
 
What difference does it make? You can get just as drunk on beer/wine as you can on tequila and whiskey.

pretty much what Kandahar said. Think of the beer and wine as "training wheels" or a bike bike before going to a motorcycle.
 
I once saw an argument for 19 resting on the case that most 19 yo's are out of high school. Now, yes, there are 19yo's still in hs, but most people turn 19 the year after graduating.

I think 19 is a good age, for that reason. I think 21 is too restrictive, and leads to binging by almost 21s.
 
So I can kill a man in war at 18, but not drink?
 
Didn't I read somewhere that active duty service people can drink on base at age 18?
 
Never heard that
 
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