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Question: Why is the drinking age 21 in the U.S. but 18 in other countries?

Answer: Between 1970 and 1975 many states did lower the minimum drinking age to 18 -20. Then research was done on the impact the lower drinking age had on society (primarily traffic accidents & deaths). With that research, citizen advocacy groups started urging changes to the law that would raise the age one could drink legally. In 1984, the federal government enacted the Uniform Drinking Act which mandated reduced federal transportation funds to those states that did not raise the minimum legal drinking age to 21. Since then, all states raised their drinking age (AMA website 9/03/06.)

Comments
11 thru 15 of 19 comments
On 01/13/08
jessi from AZ said:
if your an adult at 18 why is the drinking age 21? shouldn't it be one or the other?if your an adult how come your not adult enough to drink? why isn't the age the same it makes no sense.
On 09/09/07
Jess from Othr said:
well im in australia and the legal drinkin age is 18 and i think that it is bull 2 u see so many 13 and 14 year olds walkin the streets drinking i dont think the laws here r strict enough either that or no1 cares
On 06/05/07
Kalyn from ND said:
I think that the drinking age should be 18 and i dont care what anyone says about statistics or the number of teens drinking and driving. If 18 is the age that you can be charged as and adult, can get kicked out of your house to live on your own, get drafted and have your life on the line for your country, go to jail for any offense then you should be able to Drink! It is not right for and 18 year old who has every single "responsibility" that a 21 has not to be able to have the same "previlages as a 21 year old.
On 06/03/07
michL from NY said:
a drinking age is bull, because the higher it is, the more younger kids will want to rebel and drink. *p.s: the drinking age is 21 in america and 18 in other countries because its a LAW, and we have to follow it (well not really but w.e)
On 03/08/07
Katie from SC said:
I think that the drinking age should stay at 21 because the more teenage drinkers there are the more accidents we will have in the United States. In my opinion, the drinking age should have been 21 to begin with.
11 thru 15 of 19 comments



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