States Weigh Lowering Drinking Age

Battlefield-bar disparity irks during wartime, argue supporters
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 21, 2008 3:45 PM CDT
States Weigh Lowering Drinking Age
Mugs of beer are served at the Thrush Tavern in Montpelier, Vt., in this June 29, 2004 file photo.   (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

Several states are considering lowering the drinking age, spurred in part by concerns that teenage service members can fight overseas but can’t drink at home, USA Today reports. Kentucky, Wisconsin, and South Carolina are weighing a military-only change to alcohol laws, while other states may lower the legal age for all, with a few stipulations.

“If you can take a shot on the battlefield, you ought to be able to take a shot of beer,” says a South Carolina state rep. But the movement may not hold up against the numbers: 77% of Americans oppose the idea, and reports say current laws have cut traffic deaths among  18- to 20-year-olds by 13%. (More drinking age stories.)

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