Why not. Kids are gonna drink no matter what. plus smoking and drinking go together.

if you are old enough to go die for our country you should be old enough to have a beer

I'm way past the point in life where this issue is important to me (although I used to be carded up until I was in my late 20's) but the drinking age was 18 back in the day when I was a teenager, and I was drinking at 17. I have friends who started drinking when they were 14, and I can't imagine it would have made any difference if the drinking age had been 21 at the time, or 33, or 45. The argument that someone should be able to drink if they're able to die in combat always made sense to me. On the other hand, even non-drinking teens are some of the worst, most reckless drivers out there, and, believe me, that's a consideration for me as well when they go rocketing by me at 90+ miles an hour out on the highway.

Let's raise everything else to 21 and leave as is.

As noted in several posts below, let's have it one way or the other. If one can marry, own proerty, be drafted, vote, etc.....they should be old enough to have a beer. If they are too immature for this, we don't need them being allowed to engage in the other activities. As things stand now, this is a clear violation of the rights of 18, 19, and 20 year-olds. If you are old enough to serve, you are old enough to be served.

What if there's a typo in the bill and there's a decimal point between the 1 and the 8?

Hey if you can serve for your country, own your own gun, vote ect. Then I believe that drinking alcohol at 18 should be allowed!!!! I personally believe that if you allow this to happened most of the problems in schools and colleges would be non existent. In England we don't have the problem the US has with under age drinking, nor do we have any were near the percentage of kids dieing cause they have drank at a frat party to impress their friends. (you will know what I mean when graduation roles round!!!) I believe this is a bad law that needs to be changed, like yesterday!

Come on! I can get married, open a line of credit, own a gun, gamble, and for all intents and purposes am considered an adult by the government. Yet I have to wait 3 years to drink legally. There is no good reason for it, kiss my ass government!

I mean really .... back in the day it was 18 in the usa and most people who gone drinking start around 15 anyway sooo whats the point...hey... it do what it do

Like we don't do it anyways?

Ya in this country you can get you r fucking life ended at age 18 in branch of our military. But you cant drink?

Drinking bad bad bad!

This is something I cared passionately about until, January 1, 2001. My 21st birthday. All of a sudden I became indifferent to the plight of poor thirsty teenagers. In all honesty they are drinking anyway, may as well make it Legal. Keep them off the streets and everybody's happy.
People like to blame maturity for this. In my opinion; there are many mature 18 year olds and many immature 43 year olds. Hell, I'm not very mature myself, but nobodys keeping the liquor away from me. The whole thing seems silly.

The idea that 18-year-olds can lose their lives fighting for their country, but can't enjoy a beer at the end of the day blows my mind.

Should be raised to at least 25. Too many people act like idiots even in the 30s and 40s when alcohol is involved.

If your old enough to smoke, and die defending this country; u should definitely be allowed to drink.

If your old enough to die for our country, you should be old enough to drink.

I don't abide by this at all, but one thing I will say is that if they want to they will find out how to get it from somewhere.

I do agree with this. If a person becomes an adult at 18, can join the service, smoke, gamble, why can't they drink. Most do it anyways......

I definitely think that the drinking age should be lowered to 18. I really don't see much of a difference between 18 and 21. I am 25 and on a typical day I feel like I'm 12 or 13, so age is really just a number, it's not an indicator of maturity. I definitely think that you can have two people, one 18 year old and one 30 year old, give them both a few drinks and the 18 year old won't necessarily do something anymore dumb or risky than the 30 year old. Drunk driving accidents can happen to anyone of any age. When I was growing up, my dad drank and drove all the time, and he was I guess in his early 40's when he finally got caught, got a D.U.I., and had to go to Alcohol classes or whatever. Not long after that he stopped drinking altogether. The point is, whether you are 18 or 60, you still have free will, you are gonna mess up, that's why there are consequences.

Simply put, I am one for personal responsibility... and I don't see how a few years changes that much. Pretty much everyone I knew in college drank under 21, some got in trouble, but mostly I think they got in trouble because they got caught, not because they were driving or anything. So I really think it would save a lot of trouble just to lower the drinking age.

were dumb enough as is, aren't we.

For Military Members

does it really matter?..it happens anyway

I've always thought 19 was the best age for this. There are still a lot of 18 year olds still in high school. Yeah, maybe some 19 year olds too, but not a high enough percentage to alter a law. As far as the references to military service go, when I was in we could legally drink at 18 as long as we were on base. I've heard they changed that. They should go back to it.

Old people seem to be more responsible than youngsters because the irresponsible tend to die young.

"Land of the free"???

The colleges really like this idea because lowering the drinking age would eliminate their liability.  Why don't they just find a middle ground....how about age 20? I think the bigger problem is drinking and driving.

Look it doesn't matter. If the legal age is 21, you drink anyways.  If it was 18, you would drink anyways. In essence, I am for keeping at the age of 21 whether people realize it or not the US has a huge underage drinking problem. (and i am not even talking about high school students). There are kids in grade schools drinking with there parents and bodies are not mature enough, the body is barely at maturity when a child is 16.

if some one is old enough to FIGHT for this country,then that person SHOULD be allowed to drink!!!!!

I think people drink before they are 21, but under supervision usually, and are usually more careful. I think legalizing the age lower than 21 will make them more risk takers. However, I feel that 18 year olds are responsible, and often even have children by then, and I respect the opinions of an 18 year old. So I could go either way.

The theory is sound. It would help to decrease binge drinking.

MADD badgered states to lower the drinking age but reall all it does is burden the police with having to enforce more minor in possession crap and really probably doesn't prevent drunk driving. MADD is a lot like PETA-their heart may be in the right place but they are clueless and alienate people.

it makes sense most drinkers are younger than 21.....forbidden fruit is always sweeter

I couldnt drink then, you cant either!! lol

I think 21 is fine for hard alcohol. I think teenagers should be allowed to order beer or wine. They do so in Germany, and the teens sip the same beer for an hour or two after school. It's no big deal if it's not forbidden fruit.

I'm 21 now and I still think 18 should be the legal drinking age. Many Muslim nations have a lower drinking age then we do in the US, what the hell man?

Don't lower it, just eliminate it, let the parents teach their children how to act responsibly with alcohol. North America has one of the largest alcolholism rates in the world, I believe a big part of that is the drinking age. When something is forbidden it becomes something kids want, by making it available to kids it loses its charm, or at least a big part of the charm. If a kid starts drinking at a young age for the taste, rather then the effects chances are they'll continue to drink for the taste rather then the effects.

Eliminate drinking age limit. Rules, and especially prohibitions have a great incentive to be broken. Give the parents back the authority to raise their children the right way. Punish and penalize parents for irresponsibility and consequences, but don't take their authority away.

This is what these people don't understand..Kids will still steal beer or sneak beer or get an older friend to buy them beer..Regardless of the legal age they will still drink..but I am fully against the drinking age being lowered...

I am solidly in favor of this idea.  If, at 18, you're legally culpable for your actions, can own a business, get married without parental approval and can be sent off to die on a battlefield for the sake of some warped political ideology, it's totally ridiculous that you can't drink legally.  If you marry at 18-20, you can't even have a drink at your own wedding.  If you're under 21 and get your ass blown off in Iraq, you can't go drown your bitterness at being a cripple, courtesy of George Bush, down at the corner tavern after you get about of the hospital.  Totally, totally absurd.  But, that's what happens when you have these mentally retarded and sanctimonious do-gooders influencing public policy in fascistic initiatives to control other peoples' behavior. 

nah i dont want a bunch of stupid 18-20 guys in the bars and clubs, theres enough idiots

Where I live the drinking age is 19. You can vote at 18, drive at 16 and join the military at 18. You can be charged as an adult with a criminal offense at 18, or at 14 with aggravating circumstances. Maybe its comparing apples with oranges, but there seems to be some variance in application here.

Note that in many European countries the drinking age is 18, in a few there is effectively no minimum age. There is some credibility to the idea that making it forbidden fruit, makes it more attractive.

Shouldnt be legal!

If they can die and kill for this country, then why have the ability that older citizens have.

I think all ages should be allowed to drink. If we CAN then we don't WANT to. Ask most 21 year olds. Myself included. Look at France, there is no drinking age and the incidents of associated consequences are considerably low.

the first arguement for this is at 18 they can die for their country but can't drink a beer? I have mixed issues about this...I just think that legalizing alcohol at a younger age is dangerous...even at 21 drinking is carried away...there needs to be more maturity in making decisions involving drinking and I don't think they are going to have it at 18.

No, there are already too many people misusing alcohol.....18 yrs olds just arent mature enough at times. When I was 18 living in PA the drinking age was 18 in NY state and I lost some friends driving home.

Old enough to vote, old enough to drink, old enough to drug.

Heck, no! Raise the driving age to 21!

i think if we lower it maybe the teens wouldn't act so stupid and then maybe they'd do it at home and be safe...but also 18 is still to old because they're still in school and little bit unresponible

baddddd