Some States Propose Lower Drinking Ages
If you live in the United States, you likely don't need a DUI lawyer to tell you that you have to be 21 to drink alcohol legally. But you may not be aware of the growing buzz in some states about lowering the legal drinking age that's been around since the mid-1980s.
In case you don't remember a time before 21 was the gold standard for drinking anywhere in the United States, here's a quick recap of what happened. After increased awareness about the harmful effects of drunk driving, thanks in part to campaigns run by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the United States introduced the National Minimum Drinking Age Act.
Passed in 1984, the Act called for a 10% reduction in federal highway funding for any state that refused to raise its legal alcohol purchase and consumption age to 21. The law was effective, and all 50 states raised their drinking ages.
Since then, states have taken several steps in the same direction, toughening DUI laws and increasing penalties for DUI convictions. But apparently, not everyone's happy with the drinking age in the United States, which is one of the highest worldwide.
Guardian Unlimited reports that seven states are considering legislation that would lower the drinking age to 18 or 19: bills in Missouri, South Dakota, Minnesota and Vermont would lower the drinking age for the general public; Kentucky, Wisconsin and South Carolina have introduced bills that would make alcohol available to those under-21 serving in the military.
Making alcohol available to members of the military seems to make sense to many of the bills' supporters. According to USA Today, some legislators have called such allowances "common sense" - it hardly seems fair to allow a U.S. citizen to risk his life in the line of duty but not enjoy a glass of beer.
And other supporters have evidently offered other reasons for their support of the proposed legislation: one lawmaker has noted that having a high drinking age hasn't prevented teenagers from consuming and even abusing alcohol, especially on college campuses.
But the issue may be more complex than it seems.
According to the Lake County News-Sun, one Illinois State Senator has expressed concern that different drinking ages in different states will bring back the interstate "blood border" that existed last time this was the case. In other words, he's worried that too many people will drive across a state's border to drink legally, then have to drive back...drunk.
And this concern seems well-founded: even recent smoking bans have been convincingly linked with increased DUI deaths because smokers drive across state lines to imbibe in bars where they can light up as well.
The sheer numbers, too, present a solid argument for opponents of a lowered drinking age: according to sources, alcohol-related traffic deaths among 18-to-20-year-olds have decreased 13% since the drinking age was raised to 21 nationally. Plus, the 1984 Act that restricts highway funding to states with drinking ages below 21 is still in effect, meaning that legislators may have an uphill battle convincing voters of their bills' overall merits.
But, some point out, the drinking age was raised at the same time as the concept of "designated drivers" was introduced and pushed, so perhaps the two are less related than they appear to be.
This issue continues to raise ire on both sides and will likely not disappear any time soon.