Lower the drinking age to 18

[geoff956]

The real problem is that because almost everyone drinks, we've lost sight of what alcohol really is.
It's a nasty, dependance creating, anti social narcotic which wreaks an almost incalcuble price on our society. Whatever you think about it, if you don't start from that reality then you're deluding yourself, and if it were introduced as a new drug now it would be banned.
In the UK, alcohol results in violence in the streets across the country followed by unbelievable pressures on our hospital staff, police force, fire service, ambulance service, law courts etc. etc.
Thats before we get into the domestic violence against families & children, road accidents, broken marriages - it just goes on and on.
The drinks industry which expresses concern about the problem at the same time as spending millions in the business of promoting alcohol would like to convey the idea that it's an irresponsible minority that causes the problems.
The fact is that excessive drinking goes across all age groups.
There is no defence of alcohol. It is a habit forming depressant which no society needs and the best thing we could do is to start admitting to ourselves what it really is and more importantly teach our children what it is instead of pretending it's something else.
In the end, goverment will have to take on the drinks industry as they did with the tobacco industry, instead of cosying up to them which they do at present. Nothing is done without 'consultation' with them.
Yet another area where regulation is desperately needed to combat corporate influence.

[elnina]

I agree that some of the laws are just silly and outdated.
If its OK for an 18 year old to kill ( military), to get married and have kids, to drive a car, to move from the parents house and live independently, to work, have bills, make a life decisions, have bank account and otherwise being treated as an adult, then should be OK to have a glass of wine with dinner or beer with BBQ.

[geoff956]

Originally Posted by BrandyPuppy1977

We should not have a legal drinking age at all! Do you really want the state telling you what you can and can't put in your body? Most people who cause trouble while drunk would cause trouble if not drunk as well.

Not true. Alcohol is a mind altering drug. Many people who would not otherwise be violent become argumentative after drinking which often leads to violence.
Whatever excuses are made in defence of alcohol the fact remains that everything that flows from it is detrimental to society, as any other drug is. Alcohol is worse than most.
It's not a matter of the state telling us what to do. In a democracy the idea is for the people to appoint representatives who they wish to legislate on their behalf in a manner which allows the maximum fairness to the majority. That means laws which will limit some freedoms to allow for others' freedoms.
If we all enjoyed total individual freedom there would be chaos.
So, it's not really the state telling us what to do - we are the state.
If we don't like them telling us what to drink then we should vote for someone else.
That's how it works.

[nightcrawler]

If you are old enough to go overseas to fight in a war, you should be able to buy a 6 pack of budweiser and a box of Marlboros.



please, our laws here are stupid, and do not make sense.


Like back in the day, over a certain age you had to pay full price for a movie and yet you still had to sit on the side of the theatre. Adults were only allowed to sit in the middle seats.