Underage drinking, should it be leglized?

In both highschool and colleges classes I have came across this debate. Is it worth sacraficing civil liberties and personal rights for safety that may or may not occur...

1. kids today have no problem getting alcohol anyway.
2. legalizing it would make it more open and make kids not have to go around their parents backs and be afraid to call them should they drink too much.
3. 18 is said to be an adult why should adults be restricted
4. the classic, you can go to war for your country but can't buy a drink.
5. making it illegal makes kids want it more, ie. rebellion, forbidden fruit.

Most of all as a 19 year old male, I have never had trouble getting alcohol and I don't have a fake ID or anything and my parents would never supply me with it. ... It seems when they raised the age to 21 it actually stopped kids from drinking but i think change has occured where its not hard for minors to get alcohol....

Is it a realistic chance this gets changed to 18 -19 in the future?

I guess what i'm trying to say is as a 19 year old, i see that this law doesn't stop kids from drinking and the kids who do become addicted to it do anyway becasue theres nothing really stopping them from drinking....

And the law only really punishes me, as i cant drink even though i feel im responsible when i do...

Yes, it should be legalized. You're either fully an adult and fully a citizen or you're not.

I was fortunate enough to come of age during that brief period when an eighteen year old enjoyed almost all the rights of any other adult in the US. My observation is that the younger drinkers didn't get as out of control because they were drinking in the presence of more mature people who could provide a little positive peer pressure. Now the under twenty-ones have to drink covertly if they drink at all, they do it without any "adult" guidance, and they get as drunk as they can since they know the penalty for that is essentially the same as just taking a little nip.

Unfortunately it's not realistic to expect that will happen anytime soon. It effects too small a group with too little political clout and we've become a society that's FAR too willing to restrict rights.

Ask nearly an alcoholic and they will tell you they started drinking in high school.

That's the reason for the over 21 limit.

If you're going to lower the drinking age to 18, then who's to say in 3 years someone won't want it lowered to 16? then 13? then 10?

They have to draw the line somewhere. They want the line to be at a safe enough distance to give kids (who lack better judgment) the chance to get their heads on straight and their futures on track.

No way, people aged 18-20 have shown time and time again that they are not mature enough to handle the responsibility that comes with drinking. Personally I don't like hearing about people dying of alcohol poisoning and drunk driving, so I'm just peachy with legal drinking age of 21.

No. The number one cause of death among teenagers is automobile crashes. Statistically, alcohol related accidents are the largest cause of fatal accidents. I really don't want to make it easier for teenage Americans to get their hands on alcohol while they are driving.

Yeah, it should be... when I was in high-school(that's about 11 years ago), anyone aged 14 could get alcohol... what happend so badly? absolutely nothing! now the limit is 18, but it's not enforced... of course, I'm talking about Europe...

In Germany, (just until recently) Kids were able to drink. So it wasnt such a big thing. And nobody really bothered to drink it anyways, because it wasnt like, "OMG! booze!", they were like "oh, it's just alclohol". Good Psycology.

If you really care about the legality of the age to drink, then you should form a block of 18-20s who are affected and have them vote to defeat an incumbent in your state legislature. Pick the weakest candidate and the strongest opponent who has not been in office during the passage of the laws that concern you. The bar owners association would probably make a contribution to your group. I did not grow up in an environment where legality was such an important as it seems to be today. I guess "the law" has added meaning in a proactive government and passive parental setting. Good luck with your efforts.

No.

Years ago during the Vietnam War the argument was made that the troops were old enough to die for their nation but not old enough to drink and vote. (Your #4)

So they lower both the drinking age and voting age to 18. (#3)

There was no problem with the voting.

However, the death rate of teens due to alcohol went through the roof. The 18 year olds, many of whom were in high school, would buy booze and share it with their high school friends. It was a fiasco.

So they raised the drinking age back to 21. The kids had a chance to prove they really were adults when it came to booze (#3) and they blew it.

The great experiment was tried and it failed. The legal drinking age is 21 and it is going to stay there. As far as kids being able to get booze easily (#1) that may be true, but it was no where near the amount they could get when the drinking age was 18.

Actually, I think the age of aduthood should be raised from 18 to 21 in everything.

No, drinking should not be legal for anyone under 21.

Study the statistics of accidents when the drinking age was 18 or 19. ( It was 19 when I was that age....and then our state changed it to 21, so I was grandfathered in. That was 21 years ago.)

And actually, at 18 some states do have statutes set up to where limited drinking is allowed with the parents of the person who is 18 to 21. They may not be served in a bar and they may not purchase alcohol, but they may drink with their parents in a tavern IF the parent serves them the drink themselves and they stay seated at a table. Check the statues in your state for more information. They are sort of hinky and a lot of people dont know about them.

HEY MAMA- Would you e-mail me regarding the question from the other day that I answered? Thanks.

it is 18 in the uk and look at our "get drunk and quickly and as much and as often" attitude that begins early - ie in early teens.

lowering the limit wont help. the culture that surrounds it can.

in some european countries, it isnt uncommon to have a wine with dinner at a young age. but allowing strong beers, spirits and fortified wines in the hands of inexperienced children?

lets not be silly here - your reasons for lowering it is to allow kids to get drunk. not to enjoy it sensibly, so it blows any argument you have out of the water.

18 or 19? I was thinking much lower.
No, no...now hear me out.
Have you ever been in charge of a bunch of screaming 5-year-olds all day long? Wouldn't it be great to just give them a nice thermos full of rum and let them sleep through most of the day. If they do try to get up to run around, it's not going to be very tough to knock them back down. It would make the job of babysitting much more entertaining.

Okay...you may commence with the thumbs down now.