Should the drinking age be lowered to 18?

[Ð88]

I don't think it matters, people are able to get alcohol easy enough when they are 18 compared to 21. My ex was 18 and she probably drank more than I did (she is American).
I voted 18. In my opinion, let people understand what drinking is like sooner and the sooner some will realize that it's not all that it's cracked up to be.

 

[worshipme]

It's 16 here in France, and I pass for 16 so it's all good

 

[~NeonFire372~]

The drinking age in Canada has been 18/19, depending on the province, for as long as I can remember and we aren't having any major problems related to that.

 

[freestyler105]

Any piece of crap fake ID + Walmart = unlimited booze

Walmart would let a 12 year old go through with alcohol as long as they had ID.

 

[DJ-CHRIS1]

I'm a firm believer in lowering the drinking age (As well as placing higher driving restrictions). I think 16 is the right age, with no chance of being able to drive alone until at least 17.

Alot of people seem to think lowering the drinking would actually increase drinking and driving, but infact it would decrease it. For example lets say your 17 and you have your license, you drove over to wherever to go drink with your buddys. Like most people, you hide your drinking from your parents. Your drunk, you can't exactly phone them and tell them yeah I've been drinking, I'm going to crash overnight and come home tomorrow.

 

[muz]

well over here the age to purchase alcohol is 18 on the whole and that is generally enforced pretty well none of the big supermarkets will sell you alcohol without satisfactory ID so something like a ddriving license or passport but i know a few places near me including a pub that have in the past served me and my friends most of us are 17 im 18 in a few months
however in the uk you are allowed to drink alcohol in the comfort of your own home from the age of 5 so basically my parents usually buy any of my alcohol for me
but i dont think it being at 21 makes any difference because a lot of people will just get parents or older siblings to buy their alcohol for them and will still manage to find a way to get a drink and i think the fact that the age limit is so high leads a lot of people to do it just for the fact that it makes them feel bigger and more adult

anyway i think the age should be set to the same as the UK 18 to buy it and that should be strictly enforced however it is legal for parents to give their kids alcohol , this way parents will know how much and what their kids are drinking and the parents are able to introdice the kids to drinking alcohol from wheverr the kids expresses and interest or whenever the parents feel its time
its just like sex we all know the age is 16 or at least over here but i know loads of people who have done it before that age and their parents have given them a sex talk at like 12 or something

i also think a lot of the responsibility lies with parents in teaching kids to be responsible about drinking and my parents have let me have alcohol at like Christmas and other special occasions for a long time now and they have also recently started letting me have alcohol pretty much whenever i want cos they have decided i am mature enough to handle my drink . but i think at whatever age parents decide they should talk to their kids about alcohol and being responsible when drinking and things like that and should supervise what they drink at home and i think alot of the problems are some parents agree with the 21 law and so strictly enforce it at home when we all know teenagers are going to want to drink alcohol at parties etc and so kids go other places to drink and then they don't have their parents their supervising them

 

[Prodigy146]

I'd say no, it should stay at 21, but what does it matter anyway, underage kids always find a way to get alcohol whether they're 14 or 18.

Well yeah people under 21 can get it easy. But what happens to the kids that are 18-20 when they get caught? They get misdemeanors for underage drinking. My dad is a Senior VP for Ready Serve in Wisconsin. He says he rejects over 10 applications a week all guys/ girls that are between 18 to 20 with underage misdemeanors. So it doesnt matter that the 18 year old guy, Jeff Gillie one of my best friends that had a 3.7 in high school and had over 3 credits of AP classes, he got caught with alcohol so he doesnt get the job.

Basically local law inforcement is handing out misdemeanors like candy. And i really think that the age should be lowered, Because it is killing people's futures.

 

[Rubber314Chicken]

I think if america can grow up and start to realize "oh wow, its poision we are drinking here, maybe we need to be careful" and have parents let it be a normal part of dinner (glass of wine) then it could be way less of a problem.


The thing is many people fail to realize you need to be 21 to buy it in the US, but not always is 21 the drinking age.

 

[Jesusfrk611]

Basically local law inforcement is handing out misdemeanors like candy. And i really think that the age should be lowered, Because it is killing people's futures.

They broke the law... If they get caught, they get a misdemeanor... If you don't break the law, you won't get caught and you won't get a misdemeanor. It was only the fault of the person that did it... It's really pretty simple. I have no desire to drink any type of alcohol, and may never drink any at all in my life. If I ever do though, I will be 21 or older. I don't really see what people like so much about the stuff other than to be "cool". I could care less about being cool, I try to think about what is best for my future.

 

[Ahyoka]

I'm on the fence, I'm 18 but I don't drink. Granted, I have drank before, but it's only when I was staying at someones house with my keys in the hands of an adult. As a firefighter I've seen what happens to people who drink and drive, who thought they were immune to it.

But I also find it odd that at 18 I, as well as other young men are old enough to be drafted and die for our country, old enough to vote, old enough to buy tobacco in 47 states, old enough to be tried as an adult and old enough to get married but can't buy alcohol.