Dropping the Drinking Age

It’s no secret that people drink alcohol before they turn 21. Stories about binge drinking on college campuses and alcohol-fueled high school parties are as easy to find as the online photos that document them. In 1984, Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which altered the national legal alcohol purchase and consumption age to 21. Though states were not required to comply, those which did not change the drinking age to 21 were susceptible to losing 10% of federal highway funding.

Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) laws specify the legal age at which an individual can purchase alcoholic beverages. 45 states have set exemptions that allow underage consumption of alcohol in certain circumstances. For example, underage drinking is allowed in 29 states (including Montana) if done on private premises with parental consent. It is also permitted in 25 states for religious purposes.

In regards to MLDA 21, 136 college presidents have already signed the Amethyst Initiative, a pledge stating that the drinking age of 21 is “not working.” This initiative cites binge drinking and fake IDs as two issues with the federal drinking age. The initiative also brings up the facts that adults are able to vote, serve on juries and enlist in the military, yet they are not allowed to drink.

Increasing the MLDA to 21 has not stopped teen drinking. Instead, it has pushed underage binge drinking into private and less controlled environments, which endangers the health and lives of teens. In 47 of 50 states, age 18 is the “age of majority,” which entails possession of the rights and responsibilities of adulthood. At this age, one can vote, join the military, serve in jury duty, sign contracts, marry, apply for loans, make decisions regarding medical treatment and be prosecuted as an adult. Adults should also have the right to make their own decisions about alcohol consumption.

The current drinking age ensures that most of us start drinking in secret and in unsupervised environments. Secrets of any kind are psychologically unhealthy, causing anxiety and depression. Combined with an emotion-amplifying drug like alcohol, it’s no wonder the psychological effects of illegal drinking can be devastating. If we lower the MLDA, teens will be able to drink in public areas with more supervision.

Since 1982, two years prior to the Uniform Drinking Age Act establishing an MLDA of 21, drunk driving fatalities have steadily fallen across the United States.  Some might argue that MLDA 21 reduces traffic accidents and fatalities, but MLDA is not the only reason for this decline. Other factors that contributed to the decrease in fatalities included increased seat belt use, lower blood alcohol content limits, safer cars and more negative social attitudes towards drunk driving.

In addition, other countries that have lower drinking ages do not necessarily have more drunk driving incidents. For example, according to a study in the Southern Economic Journal, 31% of road traffic deaths in the United States involve alcohol. This percentage is higher than many countries with a drinking age lower than 21 such as France (29%), Great Britain (16%), and China (4%).

To increase more responsible drinking, we could toughen our policies. As author William Cohan’s 2014 essay suggested, why not reduce the drinking age while shifting to a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol and driving? Therefore, we would send a less ambiguous message: If you drive, don’t drink. Not even a drop.

Lowering the MLDA to 18 will ultimately lead to safer consumption habits for young adults. We don't hand teenagers car keys without first educating them about how to drive. Likewise, we should educate teenagers about drinking and allow them to make their own decisions when they become adults. Ultimately, a drinking age of 18 is safer for the individual and community, and it is effectively already in practice. Legalizing it can only help.