College Presidents Seek to Lower Drinking Age

[Kevin]

College presidents from about 100 of the nation's best-known universities, including Duke, Dartmouth and Ohio State, are calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, saying current laws actually encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus.

http://newsok.com/college-presidents...?tm=1219097866

[SWTXBelle]

I've long thought that the drinking age should be lowered - 19 works for me. At that age, you are out of high school and either working or in higher ed.

[tinydancer16]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

I've long thought that the drinking age should be lowered - 19 works for me. At that age, you are out of high school and either working or in higher ed.

big time cosign...this has always seemed like the most logical solution to me and don't know why it's not pushed for more often. Actually, a few bars that I've been to in a number of different places will let you in, to drink even, if you're 19 (some of them ask to see a college ID too) Go figure. I think they've got it right on the money.

[CrackerBarrel]

I agree whole heartedly. I drank a lot more before I turned 21 than I did after, so I can totally see the argument that it encourages further binge drinking.

[Psi U MC Vito]

Yeah I agree 100 percent. Also if the age was lowered you probably wouldn't have as many drinking related deaths in college students. They wouldn't be afraid of reporting any medical problems that can be caused rom binge drinking.

[WinniBug]

Originally Posted by CrackerBarrel

I drank a lot more before I turned 21 than I did after.

oh, you and me both!!

[AlphaXi_Husky]

I heard an interesting argument against this on the news today, saying that while it may fix the problem on college campuses it would then push the problem to high schools, where 16 and 17 year olds are trying to get fake IDs to say they're 18. I don't know which stance I agree with, but I thought that was an interesting point.

[Senusret I]

But at least if it pushes the problem to earlier ages, it becomes the parents' problem.

I'm all about it.

[squirrely girl]

totally agree with senusret - college students in theory have less oversight than high school students should have.

at any rate, alcohol is a drug. drugs make people feel good. anytime you have something that makes people feel good, some people will inevitably abuse it.

[EE-BO]

I agree too- 18 is better. And it is certainly better for college Presidents and Greek organizations on the legal front.

HOWEVER- I think that must go hand-in-hand with more strict DWI laws and stronger enforcement of those laws.

It is appropriate to give those of 18 the right to drink, but that must go hand in hand with stronger punishments for those who abuse the privilege by driving while intoxicated.

To be honest, I think DWI laws should be tougher anyway- but I like the idea of that accompanying a drinking age of 18 since it kills several birds with one stone.

Both are state issues, but the federal government could force the issue by tying highway and other infrastructure appropriations to such laws being passed just like they did to get states to take the drinking age from 18 to 21.

[EE-BO]

Originally Posted by AlphaXi_Husky

I heard an interesting argument against this on the news today, saying that while it may fix the problem on college campuses it would then push the problem to high schools, where 16 and 17 year olds are trying to get fake IDs to say they're 18. I don't know which stance I agree with, but I thought that was an interesting point.

I see the argument, but then again I started drinking when I was 15. Being tall had its advantages- I rarely got carded. And I was not alone. Anyone who thinks that drinking does not happen all the time in high schools is living in fantasy land (not aiming that at you AlphaXi_Husky, but at the news report you reference.)

Alcohol is so easy to get, that I think the drinking age is meaningless in terms of deterring the use/abuse of alcohol by minors.

What is more important, in my mind, is to set an age where individuals can be considered adults and responsible for their own behavior.

With the age set at 21, colleges and Greek organizations suffer an unfair burden to control or eliminate alcohol use that is so much a part of young life (and always has been), that it is futile to even attempt to fully control it.

The advantage of a drinking age of 18 is that a great deal of liability is removed from institutions and placed on individuals where it belongs.

[CrackerBarrel]

Originally Posted by EE-BO

I agree too- 18 is better. And it is certainly better for college Presidents and Greek organizations on the legal front.

HOWEVER- I think that must go hand-in-hand with more strict DWI laws and stronger enforcement of those laws.

It is appropriate to give those of 18 the right to drink, but that must go hand in hand with stronger punishments for those who abuse the privilege by driving while intoxicated.

To be honest, I think DWI laws should be tougher anyway- but I like the idea of that accompanying a drinking age of 18 since it kills several birds with one stone.

Both are state issues, but the federal government could force the issue by tying highway and other infrastructure appropriations to such laws being passed just like they did to get states to take the drinking age from 18 to 21.

I haven't read the statute, but it's possible the government would need to untie highway funding from the drinking age before states could make the jump. I don't know if funding is still dependent on that, but if so don't look for any states rushing to change until that's undone.

[EE-BO]

True- the federal government would have to make the first move here.

And I do not see that happening in an election year with housing, the economy in general and energy being so key in voters' minds. This would definitely be a 2009 thing at best depending on who gets elected (I don't imagine changing the drinking age falls under the umbrella of Obama's "Hope and Change and fields full of happy kittens frolicking with daisies" domestic policy stance.)

[Psi U MC Vito]

Then again, Obama is a liberal. So I see it more likely under a democrat then a republican.

[kappalove17]

Originally Posted by EE-BO

The advantage of a drinking age of 18 is that a great deal of liability is removed from institutions and placed on individuals where it belongs.

I wholeheartedly agree. So many of our events are ruined by ridiculous rules in place to keep 20 year olds who live own their own, paying their rent, etc. from drinking.

And BTW, I know tons of high school kids who use fake IDs that say they're 21 as it is, so changing it to 18 or 19 isn't going to make that much of a difference. At 15, I would drink at parties and then drive home because I was worried my parents would find out I was drinking. Now at 21, I'm too afraid to have even a drink with dinner sometimes for fear of DUI, not for fear of my parents. In the case of younger people, parents are a lot more threatening than the law. Lowering the drinking age would help keep drinkers to be more responsible.