Should the legal age for drinking in the USA be lowered?

It should be same as the minimum age to be married. It sucks drinking juice on your wedding day.

 

you kid...but we might be a more productive nation if that were the case!

 

Agreed, lower it to 18.

You can fight and die in war but you can't have a drink?

 

It should be lowered to 18. I feel if you can smoke, you should be able to drink. Of course there are people who abuse it, so that's why they haven't lowered it yet.

 

If you get married under the age of 21 you are an idiot.

 

no lie, nor should be fornicating...but if you must, wrap that sucka!

 

Heck yeah, you guy's seriously know how hard it is to "acquire" alcohol here in the states if your under 21??!!!?
They're not actually accomplishing anything, most teens drink anyway!

-Joel, 20 year old drinking smirnoff while on DP

 

The legal age for drinking does not change when teenagers pick up their first drink.

 

One of the reasons that the drinking age was raised to 21 was to get alcohol out of the high schools. It was quite common for the 14-17 crowd to be drinking a few times a week.

18-20 year olds will probably get served at a private party or college so they still have access but the higher drinking age keeps the booze out of the hands of the teens.

 

people at 18 mostly still stupid, they follow they heart more than their brain.
that's why they can enlist to join the army

 

It could be lowered or raised. The age was raised to keep teens from drinking and driving. Maybe retirement age would be the best age.

 

When was the legal minimum age of drinking increased in the US?

Over here in Britain it's 18, but there are a hell of a lot of off-licences and bars that display signs now saying that those that look under-21 or even under-25 need it to prove their age.

 

There is a reason that insurance is lowered after you reach the age of 25. Generally, at 18-21 you still do some pretty irresponsible things. I would not be in favor of lowering it due to the immaturity at that age. People who complain about it often see why it is the way it is once they get a little older.

 

I did not know that. I do recall that states that didn't make the change were not given funds for highways!

times have changed so much from when I was in school....for the worse. now you hear stories of kids being sexually active in middle school, smokin the weed, etc. I think that's scary/pathetic.

 

Countries with the most relaxed alcohol laws generally have the least amount of alcohol related social problems, the least amount of drunkenness and the least amount of binge drinking.

Generating a respect for alcohol will always be more effective that prohibiting it.

 

stOx, do you have statistics on that? I know per capita, the US drinks far less than quite a few other countries.

 

We also shouldn't assume that the amount of alcohol a country consumes correlates perfectly to the number of alcoholics in that country.

I have a feeling that Americans are more prone to addiction than most other countries. But I have no data to back this up, just a gut feeling.

 

Logic I am confused. Do you think the the amount of alcohol consumed per capita is an indicator of alcoholics? You know a cause and effect.

 

21 ? ooopss...that was the age when I stoped drinking actually) lol, I am 24 now. Have drink and was drunk a lot since ...15 ?