2008 Woodie Awards
Low drinking age won't dampen bingeing
By: Jennifer Siino
Issue date: 8/27/08 Section: Opinion
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A new movement called the Amethyst Initiative has been recruiting college presidents to sign a statement urging lawmakers to have a "dispassionate debate" about the effectiveness of setting the legal drinking age at 21.
President Paul Zingg was invited to join the initiative but declined, stating it is "a poorly-informed, simple-solution approach."
Nowhere in the statement does the initiative plainly say the drinking age should be lowered, as the group is aware that such a sudden proposal wouldn't be considered. Instead, they cleverly ask for a simple, open discussion, which makes it difficult for opponents to say no.
The initiative claims current laws encourage binge drinking, which equates to five or more drinks on a single occasion, according to Healthy People 2010, a healthy lifestyle Web site.
The age-adjusted binge-drinking prevalence among adults in Butte County in the California Department of Health Services' most recent study in 2001 was 17.3 percent.
Not too bad compared with the 22.4 percent El Dorado County boasted that same year. Granted, that is like celebrating being the coolest kid at the Dungeons & Dragons party.
Obviously, the initiative officials trust the average American family's parenting skills and hold college students in the highest regard, since they assume every student is an illegal binge drinker.
A Mothers Against Drunk Driving press release goes as far as to say the presidents "have signed on to a misguided initiative that uses deliberately misleading information to confuse the public on the effectiveness of the 21 law."
Call me optimistic, but I really don't think more than 100 educational leaders would sign their names to something they knew was deliberately misleading. They would be cautious - if not for the ethical implications, then simply for their reputations' sake.
MADD maintains that having the drinking age at 21 is working, but most teenagers know it's not particularly difficult to get alcohol if you're underage, especially in a college town.
It doesn't sound like the 21 law is really working. However, changing the age to 18 and passing the binge-drinking buck down to the high schools isn't right either.
Of course some college and high school students will drink. Whether it's legal or illegal, drinking will always be dangerous. People don't drink responsibly just because it's legal.
The Amethyst Initiative's Web site says, "Adults under 21 are deemed capable of voting, signing contracts, serving on juries and enlisting in the military, but are told they are not mature enough to have a beer."
A possible solution to this "injustice" would be to introduce a graduated rights system. A rough example would be that people can sign contracts and drink beer and wine at 18. At 19 they can vote, enlist and serve on a jury. By the time they are 20 or 21, they can drink hard liquor, and by then they have already learned some of their alcoholic limits from a few years of drinking beer and wine.
Since maturity doesn't come all at once, neither should rights.
A person is not an adult simply because they have continued to exist for 18 years. It's not like the maturity fairy comes to visit you on the eve of your 18th birthday and sprinkles wisdom dust on your head.
Some kids are mature enough to handle alcohol when they are 15, while some middle-aged adults still struggle with the concept of responsible drinking.
Cultural influences have an impact on the decisions people make about drinking and those factors should be the focus.
European countries boast both a younger drinking age and a more responsible drinking culture. But in the United States, alcohol is perceived as a way to get drunk, not simply another beverage. The stigma around alcohol makes it alluring to kids, like the forbidden fruit of Eden.
If parents have open conversations with their kids about alcohol, kids will be far more likely to feel trusted and make informed decisions.
I wish the best of luck to any parent who would rather take their chances with amethyst and the maturity fairy.
Jen Siino can be reached at
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