An unexpected alcohol debate
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1 Comment [ View ]If somebody wanted to start a fight, they could hardly do better than suggest the possibility of lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18.
But that's precisely what 100 college and university presidents and chancellors have done. Calling themselves the Amethyst Initiative, the organization says it's time to have an "informed and unimpeded debate on the 21-year-old drinking age." Now's the time to "weigh all the consequences of current alcohol policies and to invite new ideas on how best to prepare young adults to make responsible decisions about alcohol use" the group says on its Web site (www.amethystinitiative.org/).
The Amethyst Initiative's argument -- its members are calling for a "debate," but it's pretty clear they've already made up their minds -- is that binge drinking by underage college students is rampant, as is use of illegal "fake" ID's, and that the 21-year-old age limit fosters the behavior. Furthermore, they say, why restrict 18-year-olds from imbibing when they are considered old enough to vote, sign contracts, serve on juries and enlist in the military?
In fact, that is a good question. But there may well be a good answer. Mothers Against Drunk Driving, other university and public health officials say lowering the drinking age would only add to the pain and misery of young people, their parents and society at large caused by irresponsible alcohol consumption. Public opinion polls have consistently shown three-quarters of Americans are against lowering the legal drinking age.
And, besides, it may come down to nothing more than money: A federal law passed in 1984 revoked 10 percent of federal highway funds from any state that did not establish 21 as the legal drinking age. Utah's neighbor, Wyoming, for example, raised its legal age in 1988 from 19 to 21 as a result of the federal legislation; it was losing between $8 million and $10 million per year in highway funds.
We're all for the debate on the issue. Nothing wrong with that. But based on a majority of the 18-year-olds we know, giving them legal license to imbibe will not make them or anyone else in society any safer.
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Yep making booze easier to get is a great start to higher education. Why are these 100 University Pres. asking for easier booze instead of better test score and better education for their students?
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