State legislatures consider lower drinking age
Kristy Conlin
Issue date: 4/10/08 Section: News
University of Cincinnati students between the ages of 18 and 21 may be able to drink alcohol legally within just a few years if a movement currently taking hold across the United States continues to gain support.
Fueled by concerns for "youth rights," and for the rights of young men and women serving in the armed forces in particular, several states are considering their options when it comes to lowering the legal drinking age.
Kentucky, South Carolina and Wisconsin legislatures are considering lowering the drinking age for military personnel only, while Minnesota, Missouri and South Dakota are looking at a variety of options that would lower the legal drinking age across the board. Vermont is assembling a task force to study the issue.
The subject of lowering the drinking age began garnering media attention last fall when Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich spoke of his support for the issue during a Democratic presidential debate held at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire on Sept. 26, 2007.
"We have to have confidence in young Americans," Kucinich said. "And a president who reaches out to them and talks to them about drinking responsibly is much better than a president who tells them 'thou shalt not.' Of course, they should be able to drink at age 18."
Choose Responsibility, a non-profit group aiming to empower young adults to make mature decisions about alcohol consumption, is headed by John McCardell, former president of Middlebury College in Vermont and one of the most vocal supporters of lowering the drinking age.
The legal drinking age of 21 is an infringement of the age of majority, according to McCardell.
In addition to this issue is whether underaged military personnel, who make life or death decisions daily, should have the legal right to drink at age 18. The dangers and causes of sometimes deadly binge drinking are also being cited as reasons why changes should be made.
McCardell believes the Legal Age 21 policy is directly responsible for the increase in binge drinking, which he said occurs in a "much more risky and much less safe environment."
Fueled by concerns for "youth rights," and for the rights of young men and women serving in the armed forces in particular, several states are considering their options when it comes to lowering the legal drinking age.
Kentucky, South Carolina and Wisconsin legislatures are considering lowering the drinking age for military personnel only, while Minnesota, Missouri and South Dakota are looking at a variety of options that would lower the legal drinking age across the board. Vermont is assembling a task force to study the issue.
The subject of lowering the drinking age began garnering media attention last fall when Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich spoke of his support for the issue during a Democratic presidential debate held at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire on Sept. 26, 2007.
"We have to have confidence in young Americans," Kucinich said. "And a president who reaches out to them and talks to them about drinking responsibly is much better than a president who tells them 'thou shalt not.' Of course, they should be able to drink at age 18."
Choose Responsibility, a non-profit group aiming to empower young adults to make mature decisions about alcohol consumption, is headed by John McCardell, former president of Middlebury College in Vermont and one of the most vocal supporters of lowering the drinking age.
The legal drinking age of 21 is an infringement of the age of majority, according to McCardell.
In addition to this issue is whether underaged military personnel, who make life or death decisions daily, should have the legal right to drink at age 18. The dangers and causes of sometimes deadly binge drinking are also being cited as reasons why changes should be made.
McCardell believes the Legal Age 21 policy is directly responsible for the increase in binge drinking, which he said occurs in a "much more risky and much less safe environment."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
np2931
posted 5/04/08 @ 3:14 PM EST
While I am somewhat skeptical of changing the drinking age to 18, I do believe that the matter should be looked into thoroughly and considered. In response to MADD, I agree that an 18 year old isn't always very mature, however, neither are many 35 year olds. (Continued…)
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