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.
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On 02/23/04
Brandi from OH said:
Actually in Canada the legal drinking age is 18 but only in some provinces it is 19
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On 02/13/04
meghan from NY said:
A comment to the person who stated that the drinking age in Canada is 18: The drinking age in Canada is actually 19 :)
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On 02/13/04
chris from PA said:
if you can buy smokes then you should be able to drink. we have alot of responsibility to have all of the things you couldnt have when you were younger. why cant we drink at that age
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On 02/09/04
Jrutsohn from GA said:
I suppose no one remembers the time when some states had the legal drinking age at 18. I suppose those same people do not remember the high concentration of DUI-related deaths between in the 18 to 20-year-old demographics. The United States uses private automobiles more than any other country in the world, so of course there will not be as high amount of drinking and driving deaths in other countries. Using the maturity and responsibility excuses for this issue are irrelevant.
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On 02/08/04
Ken from CT said:
To everyone here who has said that those who can fight and die for their country should be able to drink, I'd like to point out that the government realizes that as well. Military personnell are allowed to drink at the age of 18, as long as they show a military ID.
The argument about fighting has been used before, to lower the voting age.
But I must say, as a college student I have seen so many people get totally inebriated for no reason at all. And so I think the real question is this: Would lowering the Alchohol Purchase Age to 18 create or eradicate more problems? I think the latte
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