Drinking Age

[Galway Eagle]

Just curious what everyone's attitudes are regarding drinking age. I think I fall into the last category.

[Hards Alumni]

Remove it entirely.  We've turn alcohol into a rite of passage, and that is part of our problem.

Teaching children and young adults responsible behavior as they grow up is probably a more reasonable path.

[Galway Eagle]

Remove it entirely.  We've turn alcohol into a rite of passage, and that is part of our problem.

Teaching children and young adults responsible behavior as they grow up is probably a more reasonable path.

Edited for your option. Not sure I agree with your option but I could see an argument for no age with parent present.

[tower912]

I voted for 19.   But, if 18 is old enough to vote, join the military and die, marry, be responsible for your life choices, be executed for your crimes, you should be able to drink.

[#UnleashSean]

Most of the rest of the world has it rightly at 18. At this point its more about making money off of 18 to 20 year olds with tickets, fines, and classes then actually "protecting" them.

America has one of the highest rates of alcoholic incidents with underage drinkers due to all the hoops they have to jump through to drink.

[Galway Eagle]

I voted for 19.   But, if 18 is old enough to vote, join the military and die, marry, be responsible for your life choices, be executed for your crimes, you should be able to drink.

I definitely agree with this logic but then I think about High School seniors getting High school freshmen and sophomores drunk and that makes me have second thoughts and lean toward 19.

[Galway Eagle]

Most of the rest of the world has it rightly at 18. At this point its more about making money off of 18 to 20 year olds with tickets, fines, and classes then actually "protecting" them.

America has one of the highest rates of alcoholic incidents with underage drinkers due to all the hoops they have to jump through to drink.

Have to imagine the tax revenue from adding three additional drinking years would outweigh the ticket revenue.

[Hards Alumni]

Edited for your option. Not sure I agree with your option but I could see an argument for no age with parent present.

Not sure I like your wording, but uhhhh thanks!

Most of the rest of the world has it rightly at 18. At this point its more about making money off of 18 to 20 year olds with tickets, fines, and classes then actually "protecting" them.

America has one of the highest rates of alcoholic incidents with underage drinkers due to all the hoops they have to jump through to drink.

Basically, this is my stance about quite a few laws.  I could also be talked into a situation where we decide to actually enforce over-serving and putting some accountability back on the bars and restaurants.  They'd fight it tooth and nail, but it would cut down on DUIs and related problems.  I have never been refused service, and I can think of plenty of times where I should have been.

[Galway Eagle]

Not sure I like your wording, but uhhhh thanks!

Basically, this is my stance about quite a few laws.  I could also be talked into a situation where we decide to actually enforce over-serving and putting some accountability back on the bars and restaurants.  They'd fight it tooth and nail, but it would cut down on DUIs and related problems.  I have never been refused service, and I can think of plenty of times where I should have been.

 had to add it for laughs.

And if you can still recall the times that you were over served then you weren't over served enough!

[#UnleashSean]

They'd fight it tooth and nail, but it would cut down on DUIs and related problems.

The forbidding of alcohol and beer being sold past 9pm in tons of Wisconsin counties is the most backwards law I've ever seen.

Why would we allow people to buy at 10pm and be safe in their homes, when we can have them out until 2:30am drinking and then driving!

[Hards Alumni]

The forbidding of alcohol and beer being sold past 9pm in tons of Wisconsin counties is the most backwards law I've ever seen.

Why would we allow people to buy at 10pm and be safe in their homes, when we can have them out until 2:30am drinking and then driving!

Tavern league is evil!

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

It's 19 in the Province of Ontario.
That's what I voted.  Keep it legally out of high schools.

[GB Warrior]

I'm assuming omitting prohibition was just an oversight.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

On one hand, I like the idea of keeping it out of high schools. On the other hand, I think a year of legally being able to drink while they are still under the custody of their parents could be a good thing.

I've also wondered in the past if it would be beneficial to lower the drinking age and raise the driving age. I think having a couple of years to learn first hand about the impact of alcohol on the body before they are able to get behind a wheel may lead to fewer incidents of drunk driving.

[Billy Hoyle]

The forbidding of alcohol and beer being sold past 9pm in tons of Wisconsin counties is the most backwards law I've ever seen.

Why would we allow people to buy at 10pm and be safe in their homes, when we can have them out until 2:30am drinking and then driving!

actually, you can buy package beer after 9pm....from taverns. And a 12 pack of Lite would cost $18 or something ridiculous like that. We had to do that a couple times out at Lake Oconomowoc when we ran low during parties.

It's all about revenue for the tavern league members, which in turn goes back to legislators in the form of campaign contributions to keep the law intact.

[Galway Eagle]

If the tavern league is so powerful why do they not lobby for 18 or 19? Seems like it'd be a win win for all parties in that scenario except MADD

[GooooMarquette]

I didn't vote because I think it should be 16 like in Germany, Belgium and Denmark. It would help to eliminate the taboo so it would be less often seen as an act of rebellion or "rite of passage to 'adulthood'," and would give teens the opportunity to legally and more openly experience alcohol while still living with their parents.

For those who think it would increase alcoholism, I give you WHO's data on prevalence of alcohol use disorders. The US (drinking age of 21) has a prevalence of 5.48% for men and 1.92% for women. By comparison, the three aforementioned countries (drinking age 16) have prevalence of 4.51%/0.88% (Germany), 4.12%/0.98% (Denmark) and 2.03%/0.84% (Belgium).

http://gamapserver.who.int/gho/interactive_charts/substance_abuse/bod_alcohol_prevalence/atlas.html

For what it's worth, I would also lower the BAC for DUI charges like they do in all three of those countries (0.03% in Germany, 0.05% in the other two), and I would make penalties stricter than they are in most states.

[mu03eng]

I definitely agree with this logic but then I think about High School seniors getting High school freshmen and sophomores drunk and that makes me have second thoughts and lean toward 19.

They are doing it now so what's the difference?

Full disclosure, I'm pretty much a libertarian so I think the few the laws the better and if you are going to enact a law, enforce it consistently and uniformly but in a way that discourages the behavior without criminalizing it

[vogue65]

Thank God for Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, MADD, MAGV, MAPB, thank God for mothers.
For some it's no mothers, for me it's thank God.

In my view it's the behavior and not the age.

Some states like Tennessee and Wisconsin are behind the rest of the country and the world on many subjects including drinking.

The pandemic will close so many bars that over drinking will becom as yesterday as cuspidors.

[Hards Alumni]

If the tavern league is so powerful why do they not lobby for 18 or 19? Seems like it'd be a win win for all parties in that scenario except MADD

Wisconsin vs Federal law

Federal law says 21.  Tavern league of Wisconsin... is Wisconsin only.

[Galway Eagle]

They are doing it now so what's the difference?

Full disclosure, I'm pretty much a libertarian so I think the few the laws the better and if you are going to enact a law, enforce it consistently and uniformly but in a way that discourages the behavior without criminalizing it

Are they doing it now? What is the actual drinking rate amongst US HS students and do we know how it's broken up by year in HS?

Wisconsin vs Federal law

Federal law says 21.  Tavern league of Wisconsin... is Wisconsin only.

is it federal law? I always heard the feds let the states decide the age but withheld funding if they didn't make it 21. Guess I never actually checked

[buckchuckler]

If the tavern league is so powerful why do they not lobby for 18 or 19? Seems like it'd be a win win for all parties in that scenario except MADD

Wasn't Wisconsin the last state to go to 21?  I believe there are federal dollars tied to 21.

[Hards Alumni]

Are they doing it now? What is the actual drinking rate amongst US HS students and do we know how it's broken up by year in HS?

is it federal law? I always heard the feds let the states decide the age but withheld funding if they didn't make it 21. Guess I never actually checked

Ah, yes, that's it.  They withheld federal funding for highways.  My bad!

[Galway Eagle]

I'm assuming omitting prohibition was just an oversight.

My bad, I don't want to forget our Scoopers who believe in the temperance movement.

[brewcity77]

If the tavern league is so powerful why do they not lobby for 18 or 19? Seems like it'd be a win win for all parties in that scenario except MADD

As I recall, they did for a time, but the Fed withheld funds from states that wouldn't go to 21 so eventually Wisconsin came in line. I believe we were the last to adopt 21.