Why is the age you become an adult and the age to drink not the same.

Question

Why not make both either 18 or 21 or Make 20 the age when a person is and adult and can drink.

Why did they pick and odd age of 21 or 18 in the first place and not 20

Answer 1

I wish they would make them both 21.   But the reason the drinking age is 21 due to large number of deaths related to alcohol in that age group.  They lowered the age to 18 about 30 years ago and the numbers jumped immediately.  The kids today have an even lesser amount of common sense and self responsibility.  

Answer 2

Because 21 is the age where your brain and liver are developed enough to handle alcohol.  

Answer 3

Politicians...

18 is the voting age. So you're old enough to know how to vote.

And by 21, supposedly you have enough experience to know not to drink too much...and of course no one goes out and gets hammered on their 21st...

Answer 4

i don't know, but it's g*y, it should be 21 to buy cigarettes, become and adult and drink

i also think kids shouldn't be allowed to drop out at age 16

Answer 5

It's because of the hate-mongering MADD bigots.

There shouldn't be any age restrictions. It's none of the government's business what age people start drinking.

The age to get the adult dosage of medicine is 12, so there's no reason why a 12-year-old shouldn't be able to have the adult dosage of alcohol.

Every single argument supporting a drinking age, besides discriminating based on age, falls into one of the following categories.

1. Punishing people for hurting themselves.

2. Punishing people because you think they will commit a crime.

The first violates liberty, and the second violates presumption of innocence.

Why is it that people with damaged livers, people on heavy medication, and people with brain problems are allowed to drink, as long as they're over 21, but people under 21 can't?

Answer 6

The better question is why can you die for your country but can't drink in it!

Answer 7

Contrary to popular belief 18 isn't a magic number.  In some states, you are considered an adult at 17.  Originally, you had to be 21 in order to vote; opposition to the draft and the war in Vietnam lowered the voting age to 18.  It was argued that if you were old enough to die for your country, you should be old enough to at least have a say in what your government does.

18 was the original drinking age, but it was changed to 21 in the late 1980's.  Each state has the Right to set their own drinking ages, but the Federal Government has tied highway funds to the drinking age.  A state is free to have a lower drinking age, but they would lose out on millions for highway construction.

Recent studies tend to suggest that the adolescent brain continues to develop through the age of 21 and that using alcohol disrupts this development.  So, the number is not as arbitrary as you might think.  There is real science behind the age of 21.

1. Teen drinking is the number one source of adult alcoholism. Adolescent bodies, especially brains, are more vulnerable than those of adults. Teens that begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to become alcoholics that those who do not drink before age 21. Brain research explains that adolescent brains are more sponge-like, designed for maximum learning capacity, and are much more affected by drugs like cigarettes and alcohol.

2. Adults are tired of seeing so many young people die unnecessarily. Beer and other alcohol are implicated in the 3 top causes of teen deaths: accidents like car crashes, falls and drowning; homicides; and suicides. This is true today, even with the legal age at 21, but raising the age has significantly reduced the number of traffic fatalities since the 1980s.

3. Other serious health risks increase with drinking. Teens that drink are seven times more likely to engage in s*x and to have s*x with more partners than those who do not. Alcohol reduces good judgment over all sorts of decisions, but for young women, the chances of date rape, sexual harassment, or simply emotional distress and regret are all too common. And today, girls are just as likely to drink alcohol as boys; in 6th- to 12th-graders in the Ithaca schools, that would be about 35 percent of girls and 39 percent of boys.

4. Teens who experiment with alcohol are at greater risk of nicotine and illegal drug addictions. For example, teens that binge drink regularly are 12 times more likely to use illegal drugs than those who do not drink.

5. Alcohol interferes with learning and memory. A study at Duke University showed that students who binge drank every weekend of their freshman year scored 10 percent lower on IQ tests than the prior year. Other experiments reveal that even a small amount of alcohol lowers learning ability of young people when the same amount has no effect on adults.  For teens that have learning disabilities or struggle with academic success, alcohol is doubly crippling because it also interferes with motivation.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsi...

Answer 8

They used to both be 18, but some namby, pampy momma who could not let go of the apron strings decided to petition to up the drinking age and a bunch of other nutcakes got on board with the idea.

No biggie for me because I can legally drink, but I think the whole premise of being able to vote in a country leader, but not have a beer stupid

Answer 9

Well they have had the drinking age at 18 in some states and it is usually problematic due to the fact that some 18 yr olds are still in high school and that it is so close to the age you start driving.  21 as a drinking age has lowered the number of drunk driving accidents.  I am not sure how they choose 21 but it worked out okay so the chances of them changing it are pretty slim.  I think it had a lot to do with the number of years between learning to drive and beginning to drink.

Answer 10

in many provinces in canada it is the same!

18 for both :)

Answer 11

18 is too close to younger ages, which would make it easier for minors to possess alcohol.  Twenty-one kind of separates the age difference.  If 18 was the legal age for people to drink, you would see a lot more drunk teenagers and more DUI's.  What i think is stupid though, is your old enough to protect the country, but not old enough to have a beer.  

Answer 12

A few states stayed 18 after most turned to 21. One was wisconson. Eventuntaully federal governmetn said they would withhold highway funding if states didnt change so they did. Know what else is kind of dumb. At U of I you can go in the bars at 19 but not drink til 21. A. why 19 and not 18, and B. what do people think a 19 year old is goign to do in a bar, drink pepsi?

Answer 13

its fricking retarded though!

those europeans know what the h**l they are doing!

18 for drinking.

too bad you have to be 18 to drive too. in europe

Answer 14

bunch of political c**p...

at 14/15 you can be tried for murder as an adult

2 at 17 you can join army and go fight

3.at 18 you can byuy ahouse and a car and a gun

4.in many states u can get married at 16 or 17,,,in some southern american states u can at 13/14 with parentas say so

its all crazy

Answer 15

For voting, the 14th Amendment initially set the voting age at 21.  Congress attempted to right this wrong in 1970 by passing an extension to the 1965 Voting Rights Act that gave the vote to all persons 18 or older, in all elections, on all levels. This was due to a popular anti-war slogan highlighting the hypocracy of being able to die for your country (drafted into Vietnam at 18) and not be able to vote.

Oregon objected to the 18-year-old limit, as well as other provisions of the 1970 Act.  In Oregon v Mitchell (400 U.S. 112), a sharply divided Supreme Court ruled that the Congress had the power to lower the voting age to 18 for national elections, but not for state and local elections. The case was decided on December 1, 1970. Within months, on March 23, 1971, the Congress passed the text of the 26th Amendment, specifically setting a national voting age, in both state AND national elections, to 18.

As the drinking age is not a power enumerated by the federal Constitution, that power is left to the states.  The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 set a suggested purchase and possession age of 21.  Those States who did set their age to 21 lost federal money for road maintenance. The national law specifically prohibits purchase and public possession of alcoholic beverages. It does not prohibit persons under 21 from drinking. The term "public possession" is strictly defined and does not apply to possession for the following:

    * An established religious purpose, when accompanied by a parent, spouse or legal guardian age 21 or older

    * Medical purposes when prescribed or administered by a licensed physician, pharmacist, dentist, nurse, hospital or medical institution

    * In private clubs or establishments

    * In the course of lawful employment by a duly licensed manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer.”

So, if daddy is with you or you're drinking for Jesus, there is no prohibition on consuming alcohol.  Cheers!

Answer 16

Mainly because alcohol is something you need to be responsible about.

Teens are tempted to go crazy and party once they are 18. Alcohol is sure to happen, but it is not legal.

The age 21 is to tempt them to wait mature more.

Even an 18 year old isn't completely mature. He is just finishing high school and beginning college.

It isn't known why the age is 21. Other countries have different ages for drinking so it is all about the country.

If you really want to drink, go to Canada. I believe it is legal when you are 16.

Answer 17

to have control over your life.........

your an adult at the movies at 14

Answer 18

Maybe if so many of our young kids weren't dying or causing deaths from driving drunk - this wouldn't even be an issue.  You can't kill someone by voting.  You can by getting drunk.

Of course, you got those idiots who are over 21 doing the same thing.  Some people shouldn't be allowed to drink at all.