Goldfarb Center Lecture Series

The cognitive development of teenagers is extremely important. To introduce a mind altering substance at that age would impair their ability to learn problem solving and decision making skills. To consume a mind altering substance teaches a person to escape from reality for a short time instead of facing problems and making positive choices. Parents should be teaching their children life skills instead of how to properly consume mind altering substances for recreation.
Car crash rates were down for the 21 year old group because at that age they have learned to make healthy decision for their life and not just concentrate on "having fun".

I believe that by having the drinking age at 21 we create more alcoholism. Kids like it or not believe it or not, are drinking. We create longer drinking habits by having kids drink illegally until they are 21 and then getting free reign to go show the world what they learned in back yards, colleges, and any place they could go to get away with it. They are drinking and binging for a longer periods of time waiting to get to 21. When you tell people they can't do something they of course want it more and that's what we do with the 21 law. We have more alcoholic young adults than ever before and a large percent of this are women. I would like to see a younger drinking age I think 19 would be more appropriate.  

we allow teens to drive motor vehicles before they reach 18. We allow 18 year olds to fight for our country...yet we have a ban on purchasing alcohol unless you're 21? I don't support lowering the age of consumption or purchasing, but I think that the age is pushing the under 21's to do it illegally. Parents need to get involved in raising their children and setting the example.

I live in an area close to a large, expanding campus where historic houses in the neighborhood have turned into party houses that are magnets for underage drinkers. Underage drinkers pay entrance to these illegal taverns/drug houses and engage in unmonitored immature drinking behavior that has resulted in police raids, crimes being committed, vandalism and disorderly behavior, car accidents, rape and even deaths from overdoses.
Lower the drinking age! Let them go to the bars where the bartenders know how to deal with them and social norms around drinking prevail!

What about changing the drinking age will bring parents to more maturity in handling alcohol and other drug information with their children?! In our jail bible study our young men and women tell us that it was at home with mom and dad that they learned to drink, or use marijuana or other drugs at a young age. To think that lowering the drinking age will bring about less alcohol related accidents and other problems is at the very least naive and misguided.

What appears apparent is that age and laws do not make a person drink responsibly. Responsibility lies first by example of the parent(s). Children learn through example not by punishment after the damage is done. Parents should not look for anyone to blame but themselves. No one is forcing liquior or drugs down the throats of todays youth.