Would reducing the drinking age be a recipe for public health disaster?
Advocates of a 21 year-old drinking age claim that lowering the drinking age would lead to several public health problems. Their concerns are twofold: increased rates of alcohol abuse and decreased mental faculties amongst new drinkers. If the present 21 year-old drinking age were actually effective in reducing underage drinking in the 18-20 year-old cohort, then lowering the drinking age to 18 could very well increase rates of alcohol abuse. The logic is that a lower drinking age would provide access to alcohol to otherwise abstinent, but, potential abusers. However, the reality of the present drinking age is that it is ineffective in keeping alcohol out of the hands of underage drinkers, specifically those who are already in college, ages 18-20. Albeit misguided, the argument concerning the risk-prone nature of young adults is an important one. If the drinking age were lowered, it would give colleges and universities, and foremost parents, the opportunity to promote the healthy use o
