Some college officials are advocating a lowering of the national drinking age 21 to 18. The debate is drawing considerable amounts of criticism.

"...in 1984, President Ronald Regan signed into law the National Uniform Drinking Age 21 Act. The change helped to decrease fatal crashes by 59 percent between 1982 and 1998, saving thousands of lives in the process. In addition, a 1998 study showed 10 years after the age was raised to 21 in New York, 58 percent of people 18, 19, and 20 reported reduced drinking, while impaired driving rates decreased."

Studies have also shown that the brain continues to develop until a person reaches about 25 years of age, meaning young drinkers risk impeding the development process. The liver is also not fully developed, which means that alcohol has a stronger adverse affect on teenagers than it does on adults. Source: The Buffalo News

Read the Pros and Cons of Lowering the Legal Drinking Age

Labels: college_students, drinking_age

Drinking and partying, according to many, is just "part of the college experience." And some believe that the 21-year-old drinking age keeps collegiate alcohol use hidden and hard to deal with, so they're proposing lowering the legal age to 18 years old.

"MADD [Mothers Against Drunk Driving] is urging parents to reconsider the safety of schools whose presidents want to re-evaluate the 21-year-old drinking age..."

Studies have shown that up to 40 percent of college students have some symptoms of alcohol abuse. One educator believes that problem won't be eliminated by a lower drinking age. Source: WWAY3 News Channel (Wilmington, NC)

Labels: binge_drinking, drinking_age, underage_drinking