Former college pres. says 18 OK for alcohol (lower drinking age)

The Daily Free Press (Boston University) ^ | April 10, 2007 | Andrew FitzGerald

[LurkedLongEnough]

Youth binge drinking is definitely a problem - and it arose from the "forbidden fruit" and "peer pressure" syndromes... Or maybe this article is just an attack piece criticizing Ronald Reagan and conservatives in general.

[AppyPappy]

“Binge” drinking is just a modern term for “drinking”. Making the age 18 for beer would reduce the number of teens going straight to liquor.

[USMCWife6869]

I don’t know about all kinds of studies, but I have to say that when I threw a goodbye party for hubby and the other guys in his unit, it made me feel really bad that these guys were about to head to war, where they could die for their country, but I couldn’t even offer them a beer.

[jude24]

I would have anyway.

[massgopguy]

They lowered the drinking age just in time for me to turn 18. It was probably not a good idea. Now that my daughter is 16, I like the idea even less.

[ryan71]

18? Yes, if you’re in the military.

[cdbull23]

If you're old and mature enough to vote, if you're old and mature enough to make the choice to join the military, then you're old enough to drink a beer.

Quite simple.

[TheRealDBear]

I think this is one of the few things that Europe got right and we didn’t. They don’t seem to have problems with binge drinking.

[Ole Okie]

I’d be willing to make a compromise here:

Lower the teenage drinking age to 18 if need be.
But........Raise the voting age to 21.

[fireforeffect]

1960’s = Old enough to die for your country, old enough to vote.

2000’s = Old enough to die for your country and vote, old enough to drink. OR If we can not trust them to drink, how can we trust them to vote?

Thank God I was in the right age group to drink at 18.

[Centurion2000]

To combat underage binge drinking, the national legal drinking age should be lowered to 18, a former college president is saying.

He's right. If you're old enough to put on a uniform and kill, fight and maybe die for your country, you are more than old enough to drink.

[-YYZ-]

Most people think stupid laws deserve to be broken, and a drinking age of 21 is a stupid law, so it is widely broken.

Also, this:

“The decline in drunk-driving incidents since the drinking age was raised to 21 shows the law’s effectiveness in saving lives, DeJong said”

Really? Correlation does not imply causation. In the same period since drinking ages were raised to 21 laws against drunk driving have been toughened considerably, and societal disapproval of drinking and driving has increased greatly. Personally, I believe that if the age of majority is 18, meaning you’re old enough to sign contracts, vote, join the military on your own, etc, then it’s good enough for an age to allow drinking. Any other approach is asinine.

[mgstarr]

Nanny state / federal extortion laws are stupid to being with, regardless who signs them.

[fireforeffect]

No, in the EU it is binge sobering that is the problem.

[Oberon]

I have always thought that there should be some age at which a person is considered legally an adult...able to vote, fight in the military, own property, initiate legal proceedings, and so on...and that the right to drink alcohol should be conferred at this age.

Whether it's 18, 21, or some other number concerns me less than simply being consistent about it.

[SteveMcKing]

I’m all for it.

I think gaining a “license to drink” might be a good idea however. Maybe.

[Alter Kaker]

If you trust 18 year olds with electing Presidents and defending the country from enemies foreign and domestic, why can’t you trust them with a glass of wine?

[Ludicrous]

The justification for raising the drinking age was the prevelance of drunk driving deaths. When I was in HS, every year, graduation had a tribute to some kids who died this way.

But at my son’s graduation last year, the pricipal remarked how “nobody’s missing from this celebration”. I had to explain to my kid what the principal meant by that.

[Centurion2000]

I think this is one of the few things that Europe got right and we didn’t. They don’t seem to have problems with binge drinking.

Actually per capita they drink a LOT more than we do.

[USMCWife6869]

I understand what you are saying, my oldest daughter is 17, but honestly, if she is going to drink, whether or not the age is 18, she is going to do it. At some point, I have to accept that she is going to have to accept responsibilty and also to hope that I taught her well enough. But I won’t lie, I drank underage. Was it stupid? Probably. Did I turn in to an alcoholic as a result? No. I barely drink at all now.