# Should the legal age for purchasing alcohol in the US be reduced to 18? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 23, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794 "2014-04-23T18:51:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/1 "2014-04-23T18:51:32Z")
I’m English and I had no idea until I read [this column by Camille Paglia](http://time.com/72546/drinking-age-alcohol-repeal/) in Time that the law in the US dealing with the drinking age was nationally mandated. Here’s Ms Paglia > [@](#): > > The National Minimum Drinking Age Act, passed by Congress 30 years ago this July, is a gross violation of civil liberties and must be repealed. It is absurd and unjust that young Americans can vote, marry, enter contracts, and serve in the military at 18 but cannot buy an alcoholic drink in a bar or restaurant. The age 21 rule sets the United States apart from all advanced Western nations and lumps it with small or repressive countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. > > Congress was stampeded into this puritanical law by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), who with all good intentions were wrongly intruding into an area of personal choice exactly as did the hymn-singing 19th-century Temperance crusaders, typified by Carrie Nation smashing beer barrels with her hatchet. > [@](#): > > What this cruel 1984 law did is deprive young people of safe spaces where they could happily drink cheap beer, socialize, chat, and flirt in a free but controlled public environment. Hence in the 1980s we immediately got the scourge of crude binge drinking at campus fraternity keg parties, cut off from the adult world. Women in that boorish free-for-all were suddenly fighting off date rape. Club drugs — Ecstasy, methamphetamine, ketamine (a veterinary tranquilizer) — surged at raves for teenagers and on the gay male circuit scene. OK, I’m not an American citizen but I have to say I agree with her. Does this law still have widespread support in the US? I find it absolutely astonishing that you’d have young men and women sent abroad to fight for their country and yet when they return if below the age of 21 they wouldn’t be considered responsible enough to buy a beer. ---
**Author:** ![chicagowhitesox1173](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@chicagowhitesox1173](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chicagowhitesox1173)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/2 "2014-04-23T18:54:18Z")
When I was in the Navy, we were allowed to drink on base at the age of 18. They have since changed that because of some mothers who complained about it. ---
**Author:** ![Batistuta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/58956e/32.png) [@Batistuta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batistuta)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/3 "2014-04-23T19:10:10Z")
In line with OP’s question: as I understand it, young Americans generally start university aged 18-19, which means that they’re not allowed to drink until their 3rd year at university? Is that true, or am I mistaken? And if so, how many university students **actually** follow the rules? Frankly, my university experience wouldn’t have been quite the same without all that beer and tequila ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/4 "2014-04-23T19:18:29Z")
It’s a State level law but they were all pressured to raise it to 21 under threat of losing federal highway funding, iirc. So it would still require 50 individual state changes to lower the drinking age nationally. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/5 "2014-04-23T19:24:56Z")
Normally, I’m in favour of an 18 liquor buying age (and a “it’s OK to have some wine as soon as you can drink from a proper glass not a sippy cup” home policy) But then I found out Paglia was for it, so now I want the drinking age set at 42. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/6 "2014-04-23T19:29:44Z")
> [@Batistuta](#): > > And if so, how many university students **actually** follow the rules? I did. To be honest, I’d almost rather raise everything else until 21. Alcohol can really fuck a developing brain up and brains don’t really stop developing until around 25. Of course, if you had polled me at 18, I might have felt differently about it. ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/7 "2014-04-23T19:38:18Z")
Sure, NOW you want to change it. I turned 18 in 1984 when the laws changed. Three more years for me.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/8 "2014-04-23T19:39:44Z")
Of course if you were allowed to drink legally at 18, you probably wouldn’t go as bat shit crazy about binge drinking at every opportunity you got either. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/9 "2014-04-23T19:56:13Z")
I’d like to see some actual evidence that shortly after the law changed there was some big surge in date rape, etc. But, in general, I agree. If you’re old enough to be sent off to be killed, you’re old enough to have a drink along the way. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/10 "2014-04-23T19:57:41Z")
> [@Batistuta](#): > > In line with OP’s question: as I understand it, young Americans generally start university aged 18-19, which means that they’re not allowed to drink until their 3rd year at university? Is that true, or am I mistaken? And if so, how many university students **actually** follow the rules? > > Frankly, my university experience wouldn’t have been quite the same without all that beer and tequila Legally, nobody’s supposed to drink until they’re 21. In practice, that isn’t how it works out- in my experience, it wasn’t easy to drink your first few weeks because you didn’t have the contacts to buy you beer/tequila/rum/whiskey since you were underaged. Once you had those sorted, it was game on for the next year or two until you and most of your friends were 21, at which point the drinking shifted from homes and parties and into bars and clubs. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/11 "2014-04-23T20:00:42Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Of course if you were allowed to drink legally at 18, you probably wouldn’t go as bat shit crazy about binge drinking at every opportunity you got either. Hmm, don’t look to the UK to support that argument. Heck, it was (and is) perfectly normal here to start going to pubs about aged 15-16 if you can look old enough to fool the barman! ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/12 "2014-04-23T20:03:49Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Of course if you were allowed to drink legally at 18, you probably wouldn’t go as bat shit crazy about binge drinking at every opportunity you got either. My understanding is that people who wait until they are 21 are statistically less likely to binge drink than those who drink earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/13 "2014-04-23T20:08:11Z")
> [@Batistuta](#): > > In line with OP’s question: as I understand it, young Americans generally start university aged 18-19, which means that they’re not allowed to drink until their 3rd year at university? Is that true, or am I mistaken? Yes, it’s true. > [@Batistuta](#): > > And if so, how many university students **actually** follow the rules? > > Frankly, my university experience wouldn’t have been quite the same without all that beer and tequila Very few actually follow the rules. I don’t know more than a few people who think the drinking age of 21 is anything other than silly. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/14 "2014-04-23T20:09:11Z")
The [actual science](http://www.bu.edu/sph/2014/02/26/new-report-on-minimum-drinking-age-makes-strong-case-for-existing-laws/) on this subject shows that keeping the drinking age at 21 reduces binge drinking and drunk driving accidents (saving about 900 lives per year). Per the linked article, a comprehensive view of research on the subject found that even given the level of disobedience, the law works for its intended purpose, which is to reduce drunk driving. There is also evidence that when New Zealand dropped the age from 20 to 18, drunk driving accidents increased. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/15 "2014-04-23T20:19:52Z")
I say the reverse (especially now I see Camille Paglia is for it). Let’s raise the selective service age to 21. If we ever do need to draft 18 year olds again, we can revisit the topic of the drinking age. Even in the military, they prefer slightly older than 18. The ones who join up right out of high school are less likely to stick around. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/16 "2014-04-23T20:25:33Z")
There’s no reason that laws have to bless or hamper someone in full at a particular age. At 18, someone is physically fit, has a basic education, can follow orders, and hasn’t yet started making babies. That makes them good pickings for military service. And none of that has anything to do with how liable a person is to get drunk and swerve up onto a sidewalk. Really, the limit should either be set at 12 or 25, based on either the theory that people should be taught to drink wisely, before entering the greater world, or the actual insurance statistics that tell us that humans+alcohol is a bad idea until the 25th birthday. ---
**Author:** ![Napkin\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8dc957/32.png) [@Napkin\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napkin_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/17 "2014-04-24T03:27:36Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Of course if you were allowed to drink legally at 18, you probably wouldn’t go as bat shit crazy about binge drinking at every opportunity you got either. In my experience and observation, it just means you start binge drinking at 16, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/18 "2014-04-24T04:43:02Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I did. > > To be honest, I’d almost rather raise everything else until 21. Alcohol can really fuck a developing brain up and brains don’t really stop developing until around 25. > > Of course, if you had polled me at 18, I might have felt differently about it. Cite for what level of alcohol consumption fucks up the brain at 18 that it does not at 21? ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/19 "2014-04-24T04:45:05Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Hmm, don’t look to the UK to support that argument. > > Heck, it was (and is) perfectly normal here to start going to pubs about aged 15-16 if you can look old enough to fool the barman! I am 63. When cycling in the UK in the early sixties, there was no problem getting cider from most pubs; I doubt they would have served us in the evenings though! ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794/20 "2014-04-24T04:46:13Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > My understanding is that people who wait until they are 21 are statistically less likely to binge drink than those who drink earlier. Cite? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-alcohol-in-the-us-be-reduced-to-18/686794.md?page=2)