Family reunion

There's talks of lowering the legal drinking age to 18, and it's actually getting some traction.

Did you know, you only have to be 21 to drink in like half the states? In some states, if you have a parent or guardian present, you can drink below the age of 21. In some states, if you're married and your spouse is present, you can drink below the age of 21. And in a few states(California is one, if I remember right), you can drink below the age of 21.

Yeah I saw that article on MSN yesterday.

Isn't Louisiana the only state that currently has a drinking age of 18?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20249460/

For Maryland, it says Under 21 may consume alcohol. What does that really mean?

I'm not really sure. I don't know if that means that ANYONE under 21 can consume alcohol, like a 15 year old, or if that means people over 18 but under 21 can still consume alcohol.

Either way, that article makes some good points about alcohol control not doing shit.

I like how you'd have to have a drinking license (almost like a driver's license). My parents let me drink, simply because of 'It was 18 when I was your age'.

Nothing too wrong with lowering the drinking age, I still believe the parents are the ones who should be in charge of their children in this manner.

I like how you'd have to have a drinking license (almost like a driver's license). My parents let me drink, simply because of 'It was 18 when I was your age'.

My parents let me start drinking when i was 18 because "if i can vote and go to war, i can def get drunk."

Yeah, I find it amusing that the government will train people to kill as young as 16, but you gotta wait 5 years to have a beer.

Sounds a bit off.

Let's petition to lower the drinking age to 18 again! w00t w00t

I'm not really sure. I don't know if that means that ANYONE under 21 can consume alcohol, like a 15 year old, or if that means people over 18 but under 21 can still consume alcohol. Either way, that article makes some good points about alcohol control not doing shit.

It's the same thing with 'drug control' we have morons liek HoH that can go anywhere and buy an ounce if he wanted.

And I agree with you Volls, for the most part I've been allowed to drink, and I'm guessing my parents did that to take the damn fun out of it... because I've never really had the urge like most kids my age growing up...

Make fun of me one more time for smoking pot and I'll flame your ass so hard you won't know what hit you. Fuck the fuck off. It's drugs, get over it! Alcohol is more lethal anyways.

It's obvious in many European locales as well, where they've grown up with alcohol being around. I don't have the numbers on me, but they typically suffer less from alcohol related injuries than the US does.

It's a large sign of independence and "maturity" in America (since you can only do it at an age where you are typically independent). If you take away what makes it special here, it becomes less of a deal after a generation or two.

The French and Italians definitely let kids drink at an early age - maybe small glasses of wine. And it wouldn't surprise me if the Germans let their kids drink smalls glasses of beer or similar. Same for the Irish and Scottish. And we Brits? 14 y/o in the pub, downing pints. Proper like! And then we grow up into holiday-makers who go abroad, get absolutely rat-arsed, and annoy the locals.

Sounds like the life. I've been able to have wine with supper since I was 16 and when my parents had it. Now I get beer or white russians.

Right, but statistically, Europeans tend to be safer than Americans after being intoxicated.

I largely think it's one of those, "OH, I CAN DO THIS NOW" kind of things over here.