# Canadian Drinking age for Americans (legal question) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 24, 2001, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-drinking-age-for-americans-legal-question/77860 "2001-08-24T05:08:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2001, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-drinking-age-for-americans-legal-question/77860/21 "2001-08-25T06:53:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by grienspace \* > \*\*\*\*Hodge \*\* > > Just for a little interesting history on this subject, back in the late sixties, my buddies and I would cross the lower bridge in Niagara Falls to drink at Gabriel’s or Jackson’s ,two bars which catered to Canadian teenagers. \*\* No kidding! Whereabouts were they? By the time I was old enough to party across the river (I was born in '68) the main strip was on 3rd Ave. Of course, the great advantage for these places was the 3:00am closing time as opposed to 1:00am in Ontario. When ON finally extended their closing time from 1:00am to 2:00am the economic fallout for downtown NF, NY was ridiculous; Fast food joints closed, bars closed (obviously), and cops were bored. We would be in similar danger now if not for the Casino. Yep, border towns. Love’em & hate’em. Hodge ---
**Author:** ![Tedster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@Tedster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tedster)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2001, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-drinking-age-for-americans-legal-question/77860/22 "2001-08-25T07:21:20Z")
The Army, at least, at one time allowed 18 year old soldiers to drink (beer only) at on-post establishments legally, regardless of the state law where the post was located (Which is/was 21 anyway.) This was done in part to recognize the fact that they are soldiers, serving our country, and they should be able to have a beer or two if that’s what they want. Unfortunately, what happened in real life is the 18 year old soldiers would get seriously tanked on cheap beer on post and then go _off_ post and raise hell. So much for a great idea, the DOD had no choice but to restrict all soldiers to the same laws as everyone else- you can be _in_ the Army and until you’re 21, you cannot legally posess or consume alcoholic beverages. My policy with my troops who were under 21 was if they stayed in their barracks room or housing and weren’t idiots about it, I wasn’t going to say anything. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2001, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-drinking-age-for-americans-legal-question/77860/23 "2001-08-25T17:05:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hodge \* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by grienspace \* > > \*\*\*\*Hodge \*\* > > > > Just for a little interesting history on this subject, back in the late sixties, my buddies and I would cross the lower bridge in Niagara Falls to drink at Gabriel’s or Jackson’s ,two bars which catered to Canadian teenagers. \*\* > > No kidding! Whereabouts were they? By the time I was old enough to party across the river (I was born in '68) the main strip was on 3rd Ave. Sorry, its been over 30 years since I left the area, but I can remember that Gabe’s was to the left of the Bridge, entering the States, and within a relatively short walking distance at the end of a side street, in an otherwise relatively quiet industrial area, whereas Jackson’s was much further away to the right, on a busy “strip”. I also remember that American beer back then seemed pretty watered down, compared to Canadian beer. I didn’t really like the taste, but what the heck, if you wanted to do the bar scene on a cheap budget it would suffice. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2001, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-drinking-age-for-americans-legal-question/77860/24 "2001-08-25T19:46:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by waterj2 \* > \*\*However, if I were to try to make multimillion dollar contracts with the Cuban government involving a Swiss bank account while on vacation in the Cayman Islands, I don’t think they’d be so permissive, were I ever to try to return to the US. \*\* This is getting further from the **OP** , but until recently, the US enforced a law that allowed US citizens to sue foreign companies that did business with Cuba. However, as [this site](http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b60ef494418.htm) observed on July 27th: > [@](#): > > Just three days later Bush suspended for six months a controversial law that would empower US citizens and firms to sue foreign entities doing business on property seized and nationalized after Cuba’s 1959 revolution. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2001, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-drinking-age-for-americans-legal-question/77860/25 "2001-08-25T22:57:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ethilrist \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by starfish \* > > \*\* > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > \*Originally posted by whiterabbit \* > > > \*\*Yep, we can get drafted and sent off to some useless war and DIE at eighteen, but we can’t buy a frigging beer. Stupid, isn’t it? > > > \*\* > > > > Move to the US. > > > > We don’t have a draft. > > > > The voting age is 18. You can use your voting rights to get the laws changed. \*\* > > The irony’s getting a little thick here… > > a. She IS in the U.S. > b. She’s female, so can’t be drafted in the U.S. \*\* But I still think it’s stupid! Nyah nyah! Seriously. I realize I can’t be drafted, for various reasons. But if we can do everything else at eighteen, why not buy alcohol? It doesn’t make sense. Besides, my brother’s turning eighteen next year, and if all hell broke loose…well, hell, he ought to be able to buy a damn beer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-drinking-age-for-americans-legal-question/77860.md?page=1)