Reader comments
Lowering legal drinking age an absurd idea

Prohibition doesn't work. Heck, it doesn't even work for pot or meth, let alone a substance that is available in retail - completely legal, but only when a citizen reaches a certain age. Argue that fact away. Just try.

Do any reporters actually read the Iniative? It does NOT ask for a lower drinking age but for an open and honest discussion of the issue. Obviously, many prefer to make headlines rather than sense.

utah has created a culture of fear and repression of serious discussion and responsible policy around alcohol. you can't put up walls around what you dont like, the culture of widespread binge drinking is more intense here because of the higher drinking age.

So, whilst the brain is "developing the ability to make sound judgments, decide important matters or control destructive impulses" it shouldn't drink, but it's ok to send that brain into the military. Before, in fact, it can make sound judgments and control destructive impulses.

Wonderful how issues of brain health are kept to forefront in this country.

The Amethyst Initiative is an effort to open debate about the drinking age in order to find a solution to the widespread binge drinking on college campuses, and not specifically to lower the drinking age to 18. As a matter of fact, no where in the initiative does it explicitly advocate decreasing the drinking age to 18. Furthermore, presidents of various colleges have been encouraged to sign the statement even if they support keeping the drinking age at 21, simply to encourage opening a dialogue about this very serious issue on college campuses all over the United States. As such, it is unfair to simply discount this effort as "absurd".

So we will entrust our newly-minted adults with guns and votes, but beer, hey--that's too far.

War doesn't affect young minds? The war dead and the maimed aren't permanently affected?

Have you been drinking?

Oh good, a story from the church's deseretnews about drinking. I was raised in SLC and was told by the Church that if you drank you could not get into the highest kingdom of heaven. When I mentioned all the wine jesus had, I was always told "oh that was just grape juice"...of course I was very young. I hope to hear more insight on important matters from your news paper.

First!

In recent years, California had a potential initiative that would have raised the legal smoking age from 18 to 21. Our students debated the issue and raised some great points that would be relevant in a national debate about drinking. One student, while an avid anti-smoker whose grandmother had passed away from a smoking-related illness, was against the law raising the legal age despite her strong personal feelings against smoking. The law, she said, takes away yet one more responsible choice that the vast majority of young people in CA already make. These laws create a "conditional adulthood" of sorts, that does the opposite of protecting this age group, it entitles them. It entitles them to think they can acts like idiots, be irresponsible, not make grown up decisions- because the real adults will make all the tough decisions for them. This conditional adulthood doesn't protect them, it coddles them. Being 18-21 should not entitle them to a free pass on making responsible adult decisions for themselves.

I have been a long-haul truck driver for many years and have seen the tragedy that drinking and driving does to the lives of innocent people. Lowering the age of drinking should not even be considered. To think that would end binge drinking is a fools thought. Drinking alcohol is a serious problem and yet it is advertised as a fun part of young life. There are other things in life that positive young people can do besides destroying their lives and the lives of others. This world needs positive change now (not tomorrow). We have left this country a mess for our children to figure out and lowering the drinking age is asinine.

When we start treating them like adults, with the choices, responsibility and consequences- they will start acting like adults.

Argument by analogy is for people who can't win an argument on the facts.

I agree, nothing good comes from alcohol consumption. There should be a culture of learning in college, not drinking and partying. I predict that lowering the legal age limit is going to produce more alcohol related traffic deaths, not only the teenagers, but innocent bystanders as well. IMHO nothing good is going to be realized by this initiative. Only time will tell.

You're comparing apples to oranges. Binge drinking happens for those under 21 because they want to 'front load' before they go to a club that won't serve them. You're analogy with cigarettes is completely false. You're implying that binge drinking happens because it's exotic. To a small degree that may be true (and would help to be cured by lowering the age), but it's not the right analysis.

Those over 18, but under 21 have all the responsibilities of adulthood. They should get all of the privileges too.

well, except for america, amost every other country in the world has a leagal drinking age under 20 (germany's legal drinking age is 16), yet in america that binge drinking in collage is a problem. it seemed that the solution might not be more ristrictions, but instead, the state should try to educate the university students. banning ads and having a 21 year old drinking age just doesnt make sense. if by the age of 21, these student still cannot drink resposibly, then the problem is much bigger than alcohol abuse.

It should be the prerogative of governing officials to educate our youth. We've learned time and time again that making decisions for them does not work. If an 18-year-old wants to drink, he/she will find a way. Try finding a way to prevent that desire to drink and you've solved the problem. When you tell someone not to do something, regardless of demographic, an ingrained desire to do that thing is sown.

Cigarettes are obviously bad for a number of reasons I'm sure you're already aware. Can you honestly say that since they cause harm we should not allow the public to legally have access to them? Can you really negotiate the level of harm that is acceptable for a person to self-inflict? Once a person turns 21 he/she does not become impervious to brain damage.

Once you decide to hear you will know what is and what is not. The closed mind is the first to falter, having no understanding of things which did not exist.

I agree with the author of this article 100% for I find it absurd, as a student in college myself, for these so-called Presidents to stand on such a contradictory footing. Some universities nationwide orientate freshmen (should be required for all students under 21 in my opinion) about the dangers of alcohol abuse through rigorously enforced programs, outlining in each the dangers of alcohol in correlation with developing minds. Thus I find it completely appalling that they choose to circumvent their responsibilities and come up with something as ridiculous as this. Yeah, sure, give these first time college students the ability to purchase and drink alcoholic beverages freely, and in addition to their sometimes stressful transition, they might just explode.
What these pseudo-intellectuals should be doing is appealing for the same restrictive laws on alcohol as the author of this article alludes for tobacco. Countless studies have proven that developing minds are more prone to being swayed by catchy advertisements thus let�s nip the problem in the bud. Those beer commercials may be cool, cute, funny, and outrageously festive, but they in no way mimic the reality of alcohol abuse.

The problem here is the interference by the federal government which effectively made it impossible for states to set their own drinking age. As I remember, the law imposed a significant penalty in federal highway funding unless the states instituted a minimum drinking age of 21.

So, you see, the problem is not that Utah has established its drinking age at 21, but that Congress has effectively taken away the rights of the states to act in their best interests of their individual residents.

Obviously, as stated, binge drinking is quite a problem nationwide. It is further obvious to any intelligent person that there are other factors which contribute to this behavior. But, it has been shown time and time again that those factors cannot be mandated by law or even by common sense.

Furthermore, increased safety of automobiles (air bags, etc.) makes comparing youth highway death statistics an apples and oranges endeavor.

I commend the university presidents who have taken this unpopular and controversial stance. They are at least trying to tackle a severe problem that if not addressed, as stated, will cause irreparable harm to millions of young people.

Why is underage drinking the only crime in which an offender will never be considered an adult? Having a magical calendar for drinking alcohol is not the way to keep an honest man honest. Pull your head out of the sand, teenagers have and will drink as long as alcohol is available -legally or not.