Posted by Worker Bee at 1:03am Nov 10 '07should be, and why?
I know that the current laws vary depending what country you are in, and such, but what do you ideally think the laws should be? I personally think that 21 (in the US) is older than the legal age should be... Seeing as in the USA people are considered to be legal adults at 18, I think that they should be able to drink at 18. Yeah, i know, no knew argument there.
And to those that say that drunk driving would increase with a lowered drinking age... Why not combat that with stricter drunk driving laws? So that if people get caught driving drunk ... well, i don't know what the punishment should be. but it can be harsh. And if you want, go ahead and keep the blood alcohol limit for driving for those between ages 18 and 21 at zero-ish. Enough laws such as that would keep the increase of drunk driving at a minimum, i think, though i don't have any numbers to back me up.
And the only argument that i can think of other than the drunk driving one is that the younger you start drinking the more your brain develops to need it (maybe. i think i've seen studies saying this?) thus leading to greater amounts of at least some types of alcoholism. I suppose that is a valid concern... if people are much more likely to become alcoholics when they begin drinking at 18 than at 21. However... Again, if they are legal adults, shouldn't it be their decision?
Also, is a law keeping people from drinking until age 21 even practical? Sure, they can't buy their own alcohol, but those who are aged 18-21 surely either have their own fake id's (apparently fake id's don't have to be convincing at all to work... i heard about someone who justed pasted his picture on the back of a barnes and noble gift card. and put like his name and such on it,,, but if you flipped it over, you could tell it was a barnes and noble card. and yet... this worked) or they know people who will buy them alcohol.
And I see no problem with parents serving their own children (under 18) alcohol...
So yeah.
What do you think the laws regarding legal age to drink alcohol should be? Do you think the laws about this in your country are right?
I know that the current laws vary depending what country you are in, and such, but what do you ideally think the laws should be? I personally think that 21 (in the US) is older than the legal age should be... Seeing as in the USA people are considered to be legal adults at 18, I think that they should be able to drink at 18. Yeah, i know, no knew argument there.
And to those that say that drunk driving would increase with a lowered drinking age... Why not combat that with stricter drunk driving laws? So that if people get caught driving drunk ... well, i don't know what the punishment should be. but it can be harsh. And if you want, go ahead and keep the blood alcohol limit for driving for those between ages 18 and 21 at zero-ish. Enough laws such as that would keep the increase of drunk driving at a minimum, i think, though i don't have any numbers to back me up.
And the only argument that i can think of other than the drunk driving one is that the younger you start drinking the more your brain develops to need it (maybe. i think i've seen studies saying this?) thus leading to greater amounts of at least some types of alcoholism. I suppose that is a valid concern... if people are much more likely to become alcoholics when they begin drinking at 18 than at 21. However... Again, if they are legal adults, shouldn't it be their decision?
Also, is a law keeping people from drinking until age 21 even practical? Sure, they can't buy their own alcohol, but those who are aged 18-21 surely either have their own fake id's (apparently fake id's don't have to be convincing at all to work... i heard about someone who justed pasted his picture on the back of a barnes and noble gift card. and put like his name and such on it,,, but if you flipped it over, you could tell it was a barnes and noble card. and yet... this worked) or they know people who will buy them alcohol.
And I see no problem with parents serving their own children (under 18) alcohol...
So yeah.
What do you think the laws regarding legal age to drink alcohol should be? Do you think the laws about this in your country are right?
What do you think the legal drinking age - Worker Bee