Does older drinking age of 21 have a positive or negative effect on society?
Underage drinking is legal in more than 30 states — with parental consent, that is. Ten of those states even permit drinking in public venues, such as bars. Michigan is not one of these states.
Arguments for strengthening zero-tolerance alcohol laws cite statistics of young children trying alcohol. But, how can we point to this when so many states allow children to drink with their parents? Is alcohol the evil that must be postponed until that magical age, 21, or is it the misuse of that substance?
Alex Koroknay Palicz, of the National Youth Rights Association, says, “If you start drinking at 21, you’re going to have problems, because you’re new at it. If you start drinking at 18, you’re going to have problems, because you’re new at it.”
In Europe, he says children try alcohol as young as age 10 or 12, when they “have a glass of wine with parents, or sit down and have some alcohol.” So, they learn to drink in moderation. They won’t have to find their limits when they may be in an unfamiliar place and under pressure from friends.
The problem with teenage and college-age alcohol abuse is less a legal issue and more a cultural and social challenge. We portray alcohol as a terrible evil to be avoided until age 21. We create youth champing at the bit to drink. They know what drinking in excess can do, but don’t have personal experience.
A strictly-enforced drinking age of 21 creates a major gap between those who can drink and those who cannot. Transition from one group to the other is difficult.
I don’t advocate lowering the drinking age as an immediate solution; rather, a change in social and cultural attitude would remove the taboo from underage drinking and make it easier for youth to gain an understanding of alcohol in a safe and controlled environment.
Megan Locatis is a senior at Allegan High School.
High school students from southwestern Michigan schools serve on the Kalamazoo Gazette's Young Editorial Staff (YES), which is coordinated by freelance writer Phyllis Rose. The students pick their own discussion topics. The views expressed in Our Turn are solely those of the students, not the Gazette.