Raising the drinking age has apparently increased responsibility among young people. At 18, kids can vote, join the military, sign contracts, and even smoke. These ages may appear arbitrary, but they take into account the requirements, risks, and benefits of each act. Age-21 laws help keep kids healthy by postponing the onset of alcohol use. Response Age-21 laws work.
Young people drink less in response.
Stricter enforcement of age-21 laws against commercial sellers would make those laws even more effective at reducing youth access to alcohol. Better education and prevention-oriented laws are needed to reduce the commercial pressures on kids to drink. Jim Hall, Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board, at press conference on the National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, Washington, DC, December 18, 1997. DC Heath Co., p39-58, 1980. Bridget F. Grant, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, at press conference on the age at onset of alcohol use, Washington, DC, January 14, 1998. 5.