Here's Why We Should Lower the Drinking Age

Out of 190 countries, only 12 have drinking ages as high as ours.

Twelve.

We are keeping company with other cool kids on the block like Iraq, Oman and Equatorial Guinea.

Congress raised the age to 21 in 1984 to combat drunk-driving fatalities. It's actually a state-by-state decision (as most things should be), but the Feds coerced states with the threat of withheld highway funds. Most caved right away, although Louisiana held out for a time. Since then, the rate of drunk-driving deaths has dropped more than 50 percent. 

Good news, right? 

Absolutely. But why has it dropped?

Mothers Against Drunk Driving, a powerful lobby, will tell you it’s because of the age increase, but does anyone really think college-age kids have stopped drinking just because it’s illegal? 

Get serious. If you think that, you've never had a college age kid. Or gone to college. Or have eyes.

In reality, drivers of all ages have reacted to the much tougher enforcement and severely increased penalties. Drunk driving rates are down for every demographic, not just 18-21 year-olds. It turns out no one wants to go to jail. Back in the day, it was, “Get home safe, son.” Now it’s the slammer and huge fines. 

Technology has also changed, creating safe alternatives. Kids know to call Uber, an option not available in the ’80s, as with the mobile phones used to summon them.

It’s time to lower the drinking age and join the rest of the civilized world. Current law is not a deterrent, and it has had negative cultural effects, particularly on our nation’s campuses.

But what’s the harm, you say? Let’s start with the binge drinking of hard alcohol. Beer, the college beverage of choice since the first student was forced to read Sartre, has faded away. Too bulky. No way to sneak a keg into your dorm room. Hard liquor is the new poison, particularly vodka. It’s clear and mixes with about anything. Not surprisingly, this has made alcohol a bigger problem on campuses than ever because too much hard alcohol kills. Back in the day, I can’t remember anyone going to the hospital because they drank too much beer. 

People tried, believe me. I would know. I was in Brett Kavanagh's fraternity. We liked beer.

The higher age has also affected college culture, and not in a good way. When I was a student, we had big, campus-wide events. It was all very social and egalitarian. In fact, on our very first day, our president, the great Bart Giamatti, welcomed all freshmen to his house with an open bar. 

Imagine. 

Now, students squirrel away, pre-gaming, consuming what they want in places they won’t be caught by RAs and other mandated busybodies.

A change is needed. And Republicans — you should lead the charge.

College social life has become cliquey, balkanized. With big events out, students now huddle in smaller groups that have an irritating habit (from a social engineer’s standpoint) of self-selecting mostly along demographic lines. 

(Note to the ever-expanding university diversity departments: You should not like this. What good is diversity if no one’s hanging out with each other?)

Consider that more than 100 college presidents have signed a petition to have the age lowered back to 18. They are on the ground and see firsthand the damage of hard alcohol. They’ve had to set up complex compliance regimes to keep an army of tort lawyers at bay. Complicating matters, most seniors and juniors can legally partake, creating a great schism of haves and have-nots.

A change is needed. 

Republicans — you should lead the charge. 

Let’s face it, most 18-year-olds won’t be caught dead registering for your party. It’s an image thing, mostly. You are a brand for old people and stiffs. You have erected a fortress that says, “Enter here and never get another date.” At that crucial moment when someone first registers to vote, this is what you are up against. And once someone registers for a party, they usually stick with it for life, so the stakes are huge. It is a branding problem almost beyond repair.

Lowering the drinking age is consistent with your support for personal liberty and will resonate with libertarian-leaning youth. Lower it for beer and wine to steer teens towards safer forms of consumption. My humble suggestion is that you rally around this issue. Go on the offense, make the Democrats be the wet rags for once. I bet they’d come around quickly. 

Hey, bipartisanship!

The best part about this is that it’s the right thing to do. Eighteen-year-olds can drive, sign contracts, get married, take a bullet in Afghanistan — everything except have a beer. It’s inconsistent and patronizing, and it’s time to change it. But as long as we treat alcohol like forbidden fruit, the thrill remains.