Despite these improvements, too many teenagers still drink. In 2012, 42% of Grade 12 students, 28% of Grade 10 students, and 11% of Grade 8 students reported drinking alcohol in the past 30 days. In the same year, approximately 24% of Grade 12 students, 16% of Grade 10 students, and 5% of Grade 8 students reported excessive drinking in the past two weeks. The Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) sets the legal age at which a person can purchase alcoholic beverages. The MLDA in the United States is 21 years. However, prior to the passage of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, the legal age at which alcohol could be purchased varied from state to state.1 In a 2002 meta-study on legal drinking age and health and social problems, 72% of studies found no statistically significant association, although it was claimed that lowering the MLDA to 18 would increase suicide and criminal activity in the country. teenagers. [19] Yes. Injuries caused by alcohol use among adolescents are not inevitable, and reducing adolescent access to alcohol is a national priority. Usually, when you check in at your hotel, an all-inclusive plan means you get a wristband. Use it to prove that you are over the legal age so you can order a drink easily and quickly.
The United States is one of the few countries to have an alcohol drinking age of 21. Proponents of keeping the drinking age at 21 or lowering the drinking age argue more that European countries do not have the same underage drinking problems as the United States. They say that because people can drink legally at a younger age, it takes away the appeal of “breaking the rules” by drinking alcohol and therefore fewer teenagers drink. However, recent data shows that this is simply not the case. About 50% of European countries have higher rates of poisoning in adolescents and young adults and also have similar intoxication habits. In 1984, the federal government passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, setting the National Minimum Drinking Age at 21 (“MLDA”). It was phased in over a few years, and today, all 50 states require you to be 21 or older to buy alcohol. So why discuss drinking age by state? For example, you can look at 30 states if you`re 18, four states with nineteen, one state with twenty, and 15 states with 21. However, you may need a license to pour drinks depending on the condition. The minimum age for waiters bringing drinks to the table may differ from those behind the bar. Plus, in North Carolina, you can pour eighteen beers and wine, but no alcohol until you`re 21.
As you can see, this quickly becomes confusing when it comes to legal age and alcohol. During the colonial period under British rule, there was no drinking age. It was not uncommon to see young teenagers drinking in taverns. Most laws only apply to alcohol consumption in public places and not to alcohol consumption in private homes. Some countries also have a minimum age for certain beverages, such as: distilled alcohol. This state is strict and enforces the law against possession or consumption of alcohol by persons under the age of 21. There is an exception for minors who are at home with a parent or guardian. However, it is not applicable in public places such as bars or restaurants. In 2017, lawmakers considered a bill allowing minors to drink beer and wine in restaurants or at family gatherings with parental consent, but it has yet to move forward or pass. Along with Oregon, California has the oldest MLDA 21 laws in the country. In 2016, there was an initiative to lower the drinking age to 18, but it didn`t get much support.
However, the consumption of alcohol by minors is allowed in the presence of a responsible adult. It was made to help parents teach their children the importance of moderation in alcohol consumption. Since then, alcohol consumption by high school students has decreased significantly, from 66% to 42% (see chart). Over the same period, binge drinking among high school graduates, that is, five or more drinks occasionally, decreased from 37% to 24%. Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act in 1984, which sets the legal purchasing age at 21. This limit remained constant until the late 1960s and 1970s. Meanwhile, many states have lowered the minimum drinking age to 18. Newly legal drinkers often buy alcohol for their underage peers, resulting in a “trickle-down” effect.