New drinking age ?

[Brokinarrow]

Originally Posted by HaZe_X

My own personal opinion, I might catch some heat, but what the hell,I dont care to get into it but, 18 should be the legal age for everything, cigarettes, drinking and whatever else have you. You can go to war, fire your gun and kill some one, but at 18 you cant smoke (in some states?) or drink.

Originally Posted by Zeus

You're old enough to die for country, your old enough to have a beer.

Originally Posted by meanmike

I say if your legally considered an adult then you should be able to have the same privileges.

to all of the above.

Originally Posted by HaZe_X

Not everyone needs to be told how to act responsibly. Will there be some who abuse it, absolutely. If it were to ever get lowered, which I doubt it will, there should be a 0 tolerance policy with DWI and such. You get caught drinking while driving, you lose your license, simple. But then again I think that law should be in effect now.

Parts of canada you can drink as young as 16 with parental supervision, then it becomes 18.

Good points, and another to add to this: those people who will end up abusing, probably would still abuse while the drinking age is 21. So lowering it really won't change anything. Another thing to consider: maybe it is BECAUSE of the high drinking age that kids go and drink underage? When your in high school, 21 is a long ways off. Maybe if kids only had to wait till 18 they would be willing to wait more often

Anyway, I say lower the drinking age and step up education on drunk driving (not just: this is what happens when you are drunk and try to drive, get some videos that actually explain how someone can tell when they've had too many).

[SlingShot]

Truthfully I think it's a matter of maturity ...... There are a lot of adults that have NO business drinking, because they are A-Holes to start with .....And the alcohol just enhances those fine features .....

[ddunerider]

I may catch heat too But My Son Joined the Army And hes 18 so I he wants a Beer or a jauger Bomb I say go for it !!! But dont drive I think he gets it!!!

[sugar'n'spice]

Originally Posted by bluch

drinking age is 18 here in Alberta

for the win

18 for Montreal as well.

Although, I still believe it should be older.

[moto-camaro]

it's 19 in most of canada here, i like that age. (like bluch pointed out, Alberta and Quebec are 18). basically your first year of university you can start drinking legally at the bars. i've got a feeling that if it was 18, high-school drinking would go through the roof.
just my $.02

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by moto-camaro

it's 19 in most of canada here, i like that age. (like bluch pointed out, Alberta and Quebec are 18). basically your first year of university you can start drinking legally at the bars. i've got a feeling that if it was 18, high-school drinking would go through the roof.
just my $.02

As I understand, highschool kids can get plenty of alcohol. Some parents buy for their kids, some kids steal from their parents, others have an older brother or older friend, a fake ID, or simply know another kid who has such a source. Obviously some of that is illegal, but its not as if it doesn't happen.

[Sir Nuke]

well this may date me a bit.....but when I out ot highschool the drinking age WAS 18....and it worked just fine......I went into the military a year and a half later and had to deal with not being able to drink in some states I was stationed in.....but there were always the clubs on the bases........but I AND OUR COUNTRYS GOVERMENT, think if you are old enough to fight and DIE for your country.....you should be allowed to drink and buy cigerettes, or anything else that is legally bought by ANY CITIZEN.

[cab2g]

from why21.com.... I love the internet.... This is why the drinking age is 21... It was made federal law in 1984 because statistics showed lower injuries and fatalities in states with higher drinking ages...

Originally Posted by http://www.why21.com

For almost 40 years, most states voluntarily set their minimum drinking age law at 21. But at the height of the Vietnam War in the early 1970s, 29 states began lowering their drinking age to more closely align with the newly reduced military enlistment and voting age. And of those 29 states, no uniformity in age limits—drinking ages varied from 18 to 20 and sometimes even varied based on the type of alcohol being consumed (e.g. 18 for beer, 20 for liquor).

The results of this “natural experiment” were fairly immediate and hard to miss: The decrease in the drinking age brought about an increase in alcohol traffic fatalities and injuries. So much so that, by 1983, 16 states voluntarily raised their drinking age back to 21—a move that brought about an immediate decrease in drinking and driving traffic fatalities incidents.

Some states, however, kept a lower drinking age. This created a patchwork of states with varied drinking ages that led to what was known as “blood borders”. They were called blood borders because teens would drive across state lines, drink and then drive back home across state lines killing and injuring themselves and others.

Around this time, the nation began taking a firm stance on the issue of drunk driving. And because it was apparent that a 21 drinking age law reduced alcohol-related fatalities and injuries, there was a groundswell to help decrease drunk driving deaths and injuries by raising the minimum drinking age to 21. President Ronald Reagan responded to growing evidence that a 21 drinking age law would save lives.

On July 17, 1984, President Reagan signed into law the Uniform Drinking Age Act mandating all states to adopt 21 as the legal drinking age within five years. By 1988, all states had set 21 as the minimum drinking age, which is where it should remain.

[Zeus]

"Around this time, the nation began taking a firm stance on the issue of drunk driving."

So your saying the the a temporary stint in the 70's when drunk driving wasn't even a public issue is an accurate representation of what will happen today?

Having just finished my 'teen' years... I laugh at that. I don't know a single person, girl or boy, who didn't drink because of the law. And out of the thousands of drinkers, I've met 2 drunk drivers.

Drunk Driving is such a mainstream issue with REAL consequences that your never going to have the same number of people abusing the right like you did in the 70's. That is not a good assumption.

Lower the age to 18, make them take a 6 month class on 'alcohol safety' before gaining their 'A-Card'.

[Angrybird 12]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

As I understand, highschool kids can get plenty of alcohol. Some parents buy for their kids, some kids steal from their parents, others have an older brother or older friend, a fake ID, or simply know another kid who has such a source. Obviously some of that is illegal, but its not as if it doesn't happen.

Hasn't it always been that way?
Laws are only good if those that underage drink get caught. and most will never get caught UNLESS they end up drunk driving, or are out in public drunk and raising a ruckus...

[Brokinarrow]

Originally Posted by coolman

Alcohol safety training. You should take over for Jay Leno.

Okay kids today were going to learn to drink alcohol safely.
That's a good one.

Oh wait... your were serious.

Why is that funny? It makes perfect sense. You don't just automatically know all there is to know about alcohol when you turn 21 (or 18 if they lower the age limit). You have to learn somehow, so why not have it explained by mature adults that know? It'd be a lot better than some one getting alcohol poisoning from doing way too many shots in a row because they didn't know any better.

Of course a better approach would be for the parents to do this..... but come on, a lot of people don't have a clue how to be a good parent.

[Zeus]

Originally Posted by coolman

Alcohol safety training. You should take over for Jay Leno.

Okay kids today were going to learn to drink alcohol safely.
That's a good one.



Oh wait... your were serious.

Hell no. lmao

but they are going to KNOW its wrong.



You took a class to get your license right? So you don't drive of the speed limit right???