Legal drinking age?

[.L.]

How old do you think a person has to be to be able to drink alcohol? I think 16 is good because:
1. They probably drink already.
2. You can already legally do a lot when you are 16 you can drive a car, get married etc....
3. It would decrease the amount of juvenile hall entrants since alot are in for drinking
4. Because beer is awesome.

[bushranger]

When your old enough to vote and go to war you should be old enough to drink.
I have never understood how america can give a 18 year old a gun then send them off into combat to kill or be killed then tell them they are not mature enough to drink a beer.

[Admiral Piett]

When your old enough to vote and go to war you should be old enough to drink.
I have never understood how america can give a 18 year old a gun then send them off into combat to kill or be killed then tell them they are not mature enough to drink a beer.

Drunk driving. It's one of the leading causes of death in the US. People typically start driving at a younger age in America than in Europe.

[removeduser_4536284751384]

Drunk driving. It's one of the leading causes of death in the US. People typically start driving at a younger age in America than in Europe.

there are drink drivers younger than 35?

[bushranger]

Drunk driving. It's one of the leading causes of death in the US. People typically start driving at a younger age in America than in Europe.

So kids in USA cant be trusted with beer and cars together but can be trusted in war zones.Funny place america is.

[jbersie]

Lower it to 18. I was one of the last kids to start drinking in my high school and i started drinking at like 15. Also because underage drinking is so stigmatized in the US people dont learn moderation by drinking with there families like they do in europe and as a result we see a lot of underage kids binge drinking.

[Claudius Gothicus]

The legal drinking age should stay at 18. The USA's regulation(21 years old) seem kinda dumb, it's like you can get killed in a war but you can't drink a beer.

[Matthias]

The drinking age being 21 is a joke. For those who do not know, it didn't used to be this way, until the federal government threatened to pull highway funds from states whose drinking age was below 21. That should get some libertarians riled up.

Furthermore, kids who want to drink, can and do, very easily at that. And making it until 21 in many ways makes it worst. Since it is illegal, when kids to drink, it is much less safe situations and it is more tempting to binge drink since it's not like you can just go to a bar. And therefore many kids don't learn to drink responsibly. And it contributes to the idea that alcohol is there just to get wasted with.

If you grow up drinking alcohol like beer or wine as food and part of your meal, your perspective is much healthier and you know what you can handle.

[Le Songeur]

in the US people dont learn moderation by drinking with there families like they do in europe

^


Not the impression I got of the European nightlife

[Armenum]

Drunk driving. It's one of the leading causes of death in the US. People typically start driving at a younger age in America than in Europe.

What about if a person had to choose between driving or drinking? Meaning, if they decided to drive at a young age, and get a license, they would not be allowed to drink (noted on the license) until 21, however, if they didn't want to drive (lived in a big city), they would get just a regular ID on which it would be noted they can drink (from 18). I think this would be a better system.

[Enemy of the State]

What about if a person had to choose between driving or drinking? Meaning, if they decided to drive at a young age, and get a license, they would not be allowed to drink (noted on the license) until 21, however, if they didn't want to drive (lived in a big city), they would get just a regular ID on which it would be noted they can drink (from 18). I think this would be a better system.

How the hell would this help? You want to discriminate against rural people who need to drive to get to work?

[Armenum]

How the hell would this help? You want to discriminate against rural people who need to drive to get to work?

It's no discrimination. Because of the young driving age, the person would have to forfeit legal drinking privilege. If a person doesn't drive, what sense does the drinking law make to such a person? Though in the end of the day, the best thing to do, is to give full privileges starting from 18, which is the universal age of when one can be considered an "adult".

[SPECTREtm]

Learn to drink before you learn how to drive? It has served me well.

[Aru]

Legal drinking age is just a date in one's life and means nothing on what person is mentally ready for. Old people can be just as irresponsible drivers, drinkers and voters as adolescents. A year here and there means nothing.

Also, looking back on how hyped I was about reaching 18 years of age, and how after first few days of being adult and solely responsible for all I do wasn't really big thing after all, I'd say that it's a minor thing to be concerned about.

edit though I should point out that we haven't drinking age here, just buying age. No one can sell you alcohol if you're under 18 and it's their fault if they do, but drinking alcohol itself is not illegal or big deal if you behave. Unless cops or social workers decide you're way to young, but I don't think there is a set age for that. I'll have to check the laws.

[Ciabhán]

It's an arbitrary law. Some folks are okay earlier, physically and mentally, some later some won't ever be able to handle it and age makes no difference. There is no average for when it's best to allow folks to partake of an addictive poison that often makes seemingly mature people do very stupid .

It's entirely arbitrary so they choose an age when people are allowed to do other things and tack on being able to drink legally.

edit though I should point out that we haven't drinking age here, just buying age. No one can sell you alcohol if you're under 18 and it's their fault if they do, but drinking alcohol itself is not illegal or big deal if you behave. Unless cops or social workers decide you're way to young, but I don't think there is a set age for that. I'll have to check the laws.

When I was a child, culturally, if you were old enough to ask for a drink you were old enough to have it. I do believe there probably was a legal age when I was coming up, few bothered with it. That being said it was Northern Ireland and I was from a Catholic neighbourhood so laws put into place by the poncey English or their bumboys weren't exactly observed.

[Aru]

It was the same when I was a kid. No one cared for the law, generally because we as a people don't much care for the laws. Until inspections started fining bar and store owners, since then ID is required ti buy alcohol and cigares (If you look of undetermined age of around 18 or younger), but by that time I was already over 18.

Only problem now is that I get constantly approached by the kids to buy them alcohol and cigs. I won't do it, not out of concern for them, but because I'm not much of a service industry guy.

[Ciabhán]

Only problem now is that I get constantly approached by the kids to buy them alcohol and cigs. I won't do it, not out of concern for them, but because I'm not much of a service industry guy.

I don't think anyone's ever asked. Even my daughter's friends in the States aren't stupid or ballsy enough ask me and I'm far from a parental parent.

Though I guess if anyone actually asks. Her Grandda was PIRA, Daddy was something other than civilian, and most folks aren't gonna serve her until she moves away on her own. Not much for me to worry about.

[Treize]

16 it is and why change that.

Only wannabe neocons want to raise it to 18 while at the same time calling themselves liberals...

[Ciabhán]

16 it is and why change that.

Only wannabe neocons want to raise it to 18 while at the same time calling themselves liberals...

Way I see it liberal is supposed to be the classic type, vive le revolucion and all that Gaulish .

Conservative's are the s that those s wanted rid of.

I'd be an anarchist but I'm too ing practical to subscribe to a theory that won't work in nature.

I'd be an egalitarian if I was stupid enough to be tricked into thinking that 'theory' meant all.

So what it comes down to is... I'm a 'Practicarian'. If it makes ing sense I support it. If I need to understand a half dozen other theories to figure your's out, then you can go ahead and shove it.

Given my choice I'd elect all farmer's. Practical people. The type who if you took Bob from South Dakota, Jem from Devon, Henri from Cote-d'Or, Gideon from Israel, or Mahmoud from Palestine they'd all be more interested in strangling their own politico's than starting wars with other folks.

[Condottiere 40K]

Anyone remember when they first tasted alcohol? For a lot it would be before their eighteenth birthday.

It's too easy to bypass these controls. Fourteen under adult supervision, and eighteen for hard liquor.