Underage Drinking, more specifically should there be a legal drinking age?

AS and A Level Healthcare

Sam Acton

Mr. Elcock

IB2 ToK

Underage Drinking, more specifically should there be a legal drinking age?

What is the issue?

-The imposition of a legal drinking age limit is one aspect of a society's desire to reduce the potential for harms associated with inappropriate drinking patterns.

-The minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) of twenty-one is targeted to reduce the risk associated between young adults and alcohol. Young adults are more likely to drink and drive than their older counterparts, and they substantially underestimate the relative risks of driving while intoxicated.1

1 Perrine, M.W., Raymond Peck and James Fell, "Epidemiologic Perspectives on Drunk Driving," Surgeon General's Workshop on Drunk Driving, US Department of Heath and Human Services, Washington D.C., 1988, 35-76.

-Generally speaking, national laws relate to drinking age limits for settings outside the home, such as taverns, bars, restaurants and nightclubs. The laws tend to be silent on drinking within the home with the exception of those in the United Kingdom where alcohol may be consumed from the age of five with parental consent.

-There is clearly a consensus view across all societies in which beverage alcohol is available that organized efforts should be undertaken to protect and safeguard young people against the harms associated with inappropriate drinking patterns. Avoidance of youthful intoxication and anti-social behavior associated with alcohol misuse is generally held to be a positive objective in all societies.

What are the Approaches?

-The legal age for purchase and/or consumption of alcohol varies considerably from country to country. Age limits range from a high of 21 in the United States, Malaysia, Ukraine and Korea, to a low of 16 in countries such as Italy, France, Belgium and Spain. Many countries, including Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, Portugal and Thailand currently have no established legal limits.

-In some countries which have minimum ages for consumption of beverage alcohol, the purchasing determination is based on the alcohol content or the type of beverage. The tendency is to treat spirits differently from ...

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What are the Approaches?

-The legal age for purchase and/or consumption of alcohol varies considerably from country to country. Age limits range from a high of 21 in the United States, Malaysia, Ukraine and Korea, to a low of 16 in countries such as Italy, France, Belgium and Spain. Many countries, including Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, Portugal and Thailand currently have no established legal limits.

-In some countries which have minimum ages for consumption of beverage alcohol, the purchasing determination is based on the alcohol content or the type of beverage. The tendency is to treat spirits differently from beer and wine.

What are the facts?

-Over 40 percent of all the 16-to-20 year olds who died in 1994 were killed in car crashes, half of which were alcohol-related. The number of intoxicated youth drivers in fatal crashes dropped 14.3 percent from 1983 to 1994 -- the largest decrease of any age group during this time period -- indicating that the higher legal drinking age simply saves lives.

-Alcohol abuse is considered to be a factor in thirty percent of violent crimes committed annually

-Numerous social problems have been attributed to alcohol use, including domestic violence, driving under the influence, automobile accidents, loss in productivity, and crime

-The effects of alcohol abuse were estimated to cost the United States over $148 billion in 1992.

-More than 107,400 individuals died as a consequence of alcohol consumption that same year

Toomey, Traci L., "The Minimum Legal Drinking Age: History, Effectiveness, and Ongoing Debate", Alcohol Health & Research World, Fall 1996 v20 n4 p213

-As noted in the Compendium, 23 states do not make it illegal for a minor to attempt to purchase alcohol, six states have no laws against the purchase of alcohol by minors, two states have no laws banning or limiting minors from possessing alcohol, 35 states have exceptions that allow minors to possess alcohol in some cases, 21 states have no laws that make consumption by minors specifically illegal, 16 states have no laws prohibiting minors from deliberately misrepresenting their age to obtain alcohol, and 19 states have no laws prohibiting minors from presenting false identification documents.

-the Inspector General documents that many state and local agencies have difficulty enforcing underage alcohol laws

-Antonia C. Novello, MD, MPH Surgeon General, US Public Health Service; and John Shosky, PhD Consultant to the Surgeon General

-According to a report from the Harvard School of Public Health, alcohol is the number one problem across college campuses. 84% of all students drink, 44% of all students binge drink, and 19% of all students are heavy binge drinkers. (Binge drinking is characterized as 4 drinks in an evening for a female and five for a male.

Wechsler, Henry, "Alcohol and the American College Campus; a report from the Harvard School of Public Health", Change, July-August 1996 v28 n4 p20.

-Research from the early 1980s until the present has shown a continuous decrease in drinking and driving related variables which has parallel the nation's, and also university students, decrease in per capita consumption. However, these declines started in 1980 before the national 1987 law which mandated states to have 21 year old alcohol purchase laws.

-The decrease in drinking and driving problems are the result of many factors and not just the rise in purchase age or the decreased per capita consumption. These include: education concerning drunk driving, designated driver programs, increased seat belt and air bag usage, safer automobiles, lower speed limits, free taxi services from drinking establishments, etc.

-While there has been a decrease in per capita consumption and motor vehicle crashes,

unfortunately, during this same time period there has been an INCREASE in other problems related to heavy and irresponsible drinking among college age youth. Most of these reported behaviors showed little change until AFTER the 21 year old law in 1987. For example from 1982 until 1987 about 46% of students reported "vomiting after drinking." This jumped to over 50% after the law change. Significant increase were also found for other variables:"cutting class after drinking" jumped from 9% to almost 12%; "missing class because of hangover" went from 26% to 28%; "getting lower grade because of drinking" rose from 5% to 7%; and "been in a fight after drinking" increased from 12% to 17%. All of these behaviors are indices of irresponsible drinking, which is exactly what the legal drinking age was trying to combat.