History says no. When U.S. states had a lower legal drinking age, the alcohol problem was worse for minors.3 For example, before the introduction of the legal drinking age of 21 by all states, underage drunk drivers were involved in more than twice as many fatal traffic accidents as they are today.3 References 3. Fell, James. Excerpt from “Chapter 2: Federalism: Solved, the Federal Government Should Restore the Freedom of Every State to Set Its Drinking Age.” in Ellis, Richard and Nelson, Michael (eds.) Debating Reform. CQPress Publishers, Fall 2009. The Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) laws set the minimum legal age at which a person can purchase alcoholic beverages. The MLDA in the United States is 21 years old. However, prior to the passage of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, the legal age at which alcohol could be purchased varied from state to state.1 The passage of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 forced states to raise or risk their legal age to buy or publicly possess alcohol to 21. Millions of federal money on highways to lose. By 1988, all 50 states had increased their MLDA to 21. On December 20, 2019, the President signed a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drugs and Cosmetics Act and raise the minimum age to sell tobacco products from 18 to 21. This law (known as “Tobacco 21” or “T21”) came into effect immediately, and it is now illegal for a retailer to sell tobacco products – including cigarettes, cigars and e-cigarettes – to anyone under the age of 21.
The new federal minimum age for sale applies to all retail stores and individuals without exception. Many activities have an age of initiation. A person has to wait until the age of 16 to start driving, at the age of 18 to marry without parental consent, at the age of 35 to become president, and so on. The age limit for alcohol is based on research showing that young people react differently to alcohol. Teens get drunk twice as fast as adults9, but have a harder time knowing when to stop. Teenagers, of course, overdo it and simplify more often than adults. Applying the legal drinking age of 21 reduces road accidents,4-6 protects the mature brains of young people,12,14 and keeps young people safe overall. References 4.
Fur, J.; “Minimum Legal Drinking Age Policy Knowledge Asset”, a website created by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation`s Substance Abuse Policy Research Program; March 2009. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 [23 U.S.C. § 158] requires states to prohibit persons under the age of 21 from publicly purchasing or possessing alcoholic beverages as a condition of receiving road funds from the state. A federal ordinance interpreting the law excludes from the definition of “public property” possession “for established religious purposes”; accompanied by a parent, spouse or guardian who is 21 years of age or older; for medical purposes, if prescribed or administered by a physician, pharmacist, dentist, nurse, hospital or licensed medical institution; in private clubs or institutions; or for the sale, handling, transportation or service in the supply of alcoholic beverages by reason of the lawful employment of a person under the age of twenty-one by a duly authorized manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer of alcoholic beverages,” [23 C.F.R. § 1208.3]. However, these changes were quickly followed by studies showing an increase in motor vehicle deaths due to the reduction in MLDA. In response to these findings, many states have raised the legal drinking age to 19 (and sometimes 20 or 21). [5] In 1984, the National Minimum Alcohol Consumption Act, drafted by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and influenced by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), required all states to set their minimum purchase age at 21.
Any state that chooses not to comply with the law would withhold up to 10% of its federal funds for highways. Teen alcohol use kills 4,300 people each year, more than all illegal drugs combined. References Sacks JJ, Gonzales KR, Bouchery EE, Tomedi LE, Brewer RD. 2010 National and government costs for excessive alcohol consumption. On J Prev Med 2015; 49(5):E73 to E79. Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act in 1984, which set the legal age to buy at 21. In the 1960s, Congress and state legislatures came under increasing pressure to lower the minimum voting age from 21 to 18. This was largely due to the Vietnam War, in which many young men who were not allowed to vote (or drink legally) were conscripted into war battles and therefore had no way to influence the people they sent to risk their lives. “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote” was a common slogan used by supporters of lowering the voting age.
The slogan dates back to World War II, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt lowered the age of conscription to 18. With the lowering of the voting age to 18, the legal drinking age (MLDA) was also lowered under the idea that by being able to vote (and may be involuntarily enlisted in the military for men), one should also be able to consume alcoholic beverages legally. Several studies, including a 2011 review, have provided evidence against the idea that raising the age of alcohol consumption to 21 actually saved lives in the long run. [17] [18] [19] [20] For example, Miron and Tetelbaum (2009) found that when federally taxed and non-taxed states were separated, any life-saving effect in the taxed states is statistically or practically no longer significant, and even in voluntary enacting states, the effect does not appear to last beyond the first year or two years. They also find that alcohol consumption at the age of 21 seems to have little impact on alcohol consumption among adolescents. [21] There is also evidence that road deaths were only shifted from the 18-20 age group to the 21-24 age group and were not prevented. [22] [23] [20] In addition, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and several other countries have seen a similar or faster decline in road deaths than the United States since the early 1980s, although they have not raised their drinking age to 21. [24] In contrast, the Institute of Medicine has reviewed a large number of studies on the legal drinking age, including peer-reviewed academic journals[25][26][27] and widely considered the policy a success[28] – so much so that they advocated similar restrictions on tobacco.
For example, they cite a study by Kypri and colleagues that states, “No road safety policy, with the possible exception of motorcycle helmet laws, has more evidence of their effectiveness than minimum legal laws on alcohol consumption.” [29] Legislation on the minimum legal drinking age in the United States dates back to the prohibition era. In 1920, the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution declared it illegal to produce, transport, or sell intoxicating spirits. [5] This was repealed with the passage of the 21st Amendment in 1933, followed by the adoption of the Legal Minimum Age for Alcohol Consumption policy in all states, with most states choosing a legal drinking age (MLDA) of 21. [5] Between 1970 and 1975, 29 states lowered the MLDA from 21 to 18, 19 or 20.