Some state legislators want drinking age lowered to 18

By Mitch Anderson

Mar. 29, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) --
When President Ronald Reagan signed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act into law more than two decades ago, it was closing time for everyone under 21.

But now, a handful of state legislators are trying to turn back the clock and lower the drinking age to 18 in bars -- something they say could lessen binge drinking, an issue highlighted by three such deaths of young Minnesotans since October.

"I think one of the problems is keeping drinking such a forbidden thing for such a long period of time. It gets to be such a big deal that you're 21 and can drink," said Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, chief author of the House version of the bill, which she concedes is a long shot to become law.

Though many critics acknowledge the good intentions behind the legislation, they remain skeptical that lowering the drinking age would help curb excessive drinking among young adults, and say it would likely increase drunken driving deaths. The measure would also put the state at risk of losing millions in federal funds.

"I understand the arguments, but I guess I reject the notion that by lowering the age we're going to have a positive result in the reduction of binge drinking," said Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, who wrote the "power hour" legislation that prohibits people from buying alcohol until 8 a.m. on the day of their 21st birthday. "I don't think it's a good idea, and I don't see frankly any chance of that passing this year."

The House bill, which is also supported by Reps. Chris DeLaForest, R-Andover; Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia, and Leon Lillie, DFL-North St. Paul, would allow people ages 18 to 20 to drink alcohol at any place that carries a liquor license, but it wouldn't allow them to buy alcohol at stores. A similar Senate bill has been introduced.

Driven underground

Raising the age to 21 hasn't kept people from drinking, Kahn and fellow advocates say, and instead has driven underage consumption underground, where there is less control over it.

"If you allow people to drink in bars at an earlier age, they can kind of get used to it and it's not such a big deal," Kahn said. "They slowly get used to drinking and it's in supervised circumstances rather than at keggers and those sorts of things."

But an expert on drinking trends says lowering the drinking age might have the reverse effect.

"It's really wishful thinking," said Toben Nelson, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota who has studied alcohol use among college students. "I applaud the effort in reducing heavy drinking among youths, but the reality is there's just no evidence that what they're doing would do anything but just get those 18- to 20-year-olds to drink more."

The federal National Transportation Safety Board and national groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the American Medical Association note that alcohol-related fatalities remain the leading cause of death among teens. The groups argue that lowering the drinking age would only compound the problem.

"Pairing driving at all with alcohol is a bad thing," said Julie Mattson, youth programs specialist for MADD. "... The law does save lives."

Mattson cited a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which estimated that from 1975 to 2003, drinking age restrictions saved 22,798 lives on America's roadways.

Federal funds jeopardized

Lowering the legal drinking age would also jeopardize up to 10 percent of Minnesota's federal highway funding, which would be a loss of about $68 million this year.

Though, Kahn notes, "We've demonstrated we're perfectly willing to lose federal funds because we won't pass the primary seat-belt law."

Minnesota is among a handful of states examining drinking laws. Last month, a committee in Vermont's Senate approved a bill to have a task force weigh the pros and cons of rolling back the drinking age to 18. The committee is expected to make a recommendation to the Legislature by early next year.

Meanwhile, lawmakers in South Carolina and Wisconsin have proposed legislation that would allow active-duty military personnel under the age of 21 to buy alcohol. A similar proposal was shot down last year in New Hampshire.

Gary Serum, owner of Serum's Good Time Emporium in Anoka, said even if a change in the law didn't bring in anymore business, he'd still be in favor of it.

"If we suppress our kids and make them wait till they're 21, they don't just have one or two," he said, adding sometimes it results in tragic consequences.

Kahn acknowledges the measure has little chance of passage, but she hopes her effort will make people question whether 21 is indeed the best policy.

"By putting the bill in, I want to get the conversation started on this," she said.

Mitch Anderson is a University of Minnesota student reporter on assignment for the Star Tribune.


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