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Question: Was there ever a time when the drinking age was 18 years? If so, when?

Answer: Before 1986, some U.S. states had a drinking age of 21 and some had a drinking age of 18. State governments in each of the 50 US states, not the federal government, control the minimum drinking age. However, the federal government can force states into adopting certain laws.

In 1984, Congress passed the National Minimum Purchase Age Act, to encourage each state to institute a minimum legal purchase age (MLPA) of 21 by 1986. This act made it nearly impossible for states to receive funding from the federal government for construction of highways if the minimum legal drinking age was under 21. Since all states depend on the federal government for highway funding (which equals Billions of dollars each year) all US states enacted minimum drinking ages of 21.

Today, the minimum drinking age in all 50 US states is 21 years of age.

The main federal acts concerned with alcoholic beverages are:

Title 27 of the United States Code (Federal Law)

The Federal Alcohol Administration Act, at 27 USC §§201 - 207

The Federal Alcoholic Beverage Labeling Act, at 27 USC §§213 - 219a.

Comments
1 thru 5 of 56 comments
On 02/15/09
from Othr said:
in my country people start drinking at 12
On 01/25/08
Ian from FL said:
The minimum drinking age in Puerto Rico is 18. How is it possible that all States of the Union have a 21 minimum and an unincorporated territory can still have an 18 year old drinking age???
On 01/25/05
Emma from Othr said:
I am from South Africa and here the legal drinking age is 18
On 01/04/05
Doll from FL said:
The individual state sets the legal drinking age, but Washington wont allow alcohal to be sold in any state where the legal age isn't 21. It was raised to 21 to stop the amount of alcohal related accidents between 16 and 21.
On 04/01/04
jane from TX said:
If we introduced childern to alcohol at a younger age like they do in France Italy and Spain, then almost everyone would know how to act appropriately and responsibly by the time they were 16. A Big contributor to underage drinking is the forbidden fruit ambition. I know I thought it was exiting to drink at 17,18. Stripping Alcohol of its glamor and mystique would stop a lot of the reckless behavior that youths get blamed for anyway. Drinking should be a learned privlage like driving. Some 18 year olds are ten times more responsible than Some thirty year olds out there
1 thru 5 of 56 comments


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