The Drinking Age?

[Darkwulfe]

I don

[retired]

Darkwulfe

quote:

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Originally posted by Darkwulfe:
I don

[156]

In my state the legal drinking age is 21. Personally I think drinking should be illegal completely, so I don't think there's any "appropriate" age. I'm completely against it and I've never heard one single person ever say, "Ya know, drinking has truly enriched my life and made me a happier, more successful person." All I've seen it bring it destruction to people's lives. JMHO

[J-WS6]

quote:

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In my state the legal drinking age is 21. Personally I think drinking should be illegal completely, so I don't think there's any "appropriate" age. I'm completely against it and I've never heard one single person ever say, "Ya know, drinking has truly enriched my life and made me a happier, more successful person." All I've seen it bring it destruction to people's lives.

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Crack is illegal, but it still screws up peoples lives.

[J-WS6]

Afterthought:

Im sure Jack Daniels would say 'Drinking has enriched my life'

[Mike Tx]

Drinking should not be taken lightly. That being said parents, should educate their chidren about the pitfalls. But, I thing the legal age should be when you are old enough to die for your country.

[n567]

Well, 18 is the legal age in Louisiana (are we going to change it to Freedom State?). Anywhere the age is 21 is mainly because the Federal Government withheld funds for road construction to states that didn't change the drinking age to 21... Interesting bit of trivia.

In my state the legal drinking age is 21. Personally I think drinking should be illegal completely, so I don't think there's any "appropriate" age. I'm completely against it and I've never heard one single person ever say, "Ya know, drinking has truly enriched my life and made me a happier, more successful person." All I've seen it bring it destruction to people's lives. JMHO

It's not the government's place to legislate morality. Any time the government does so, it just creates more problems. Prohibition, the current war on drugs, etc. I could go out and by pot more easily than I could booze right now at 19. As the old adage goes, "everything in moderation" (except on weekends, of course).

[ 05-11-2003, 07:30 PM: Message edited by: n567 ]

[Sgt Lobster]

Depends what you mean, 5 is the age you shouldn't give intoxicants to a child other than under the directions of a doctor. Above 5 drinking in private or in some cases even in public is not a crime.

In the bar of licensed premises you have to be 18 to buy or consume intoxicating liquor. This is reduced to 16 in a licensed restaurant when alcohol is consumed as ancilliary to a meal.

It is also an offence to purchase alcohol from an off licence (liquor store)under 18. On street drinking is also banned in many areas. The police can also seize open drink containers from persons under 18 in public places. You can also commit loads of public order offences if you get yourself drunk.

Lobster.

[J-WS6]

I'd just like to expand on what Lobster has said:

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On street drinking is also banned in many areas.

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Many areas does not include London.

[156]

quote:

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Originally posted by n567:
It's not the government's place to legislate morality.

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I wasn't suggesting it was. Nor is it my place. I was just offering my opinion.

[Evnings]

When I was a teenager, the legal drinking age in Texas was 18.

I lean toward making the legal drinking age 18; however, its about a 51/49 split.

I was a pretty heavy social drinker after I got out of high school and stayed that way for a while. During that period of time I woke up in a few places I didn't remember even being at and burned a lot of money.

The drinking age was still 18 when I became a cop. I got to see first hand that teenagers cannot handle their liquor. There was more than one run to the jail with a drunk teenager that I had to stop and let them barf. I also saw too many kids wrap their vehicles around telephone poles.

On the other hand, at 18 we tell people that they are legally an adult and are capable of making their decisions, make legally binding contracts, get married ( except in Arkansas when it really doesn't matter how old you are ), and die for your country. Why are we making an exception for alcohol? Drinking alcohol is another life decision.

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It's not the government's place to legislate morality.

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Actually it is. The government legislates such things like you cannot have sex with your step children. Adult material cannot be openly displayed to children. Almost all of our laws are based on morality, such as homicide, theft, etc. Remember that little thing Moses gave us - The Ten Commandments ?

[ 05-11-2003, 09:05 PM: Message edited by: Evnings ]

[PeteBroccolo]

In Canada, the Federal Government controls the distillation of alcohol via the Excise Act. No person may distill beverage alcohol without the proper permit, and basically no one other than a liquor company has such a licence.

Each Province regulates the sale and consumption of beverage alcohol, and MOST Provinces set the legal drinking age at 19 (Alberta is 18).

When I was living in Ontario (left October 1975), the drinking age was 18, and in Saskatchewan it was 19. Saskatchewan did lower its drinking age to 18 in 1977 or 1978, but only for 1 year, then set it back at 19.

For many years in Saskatchewan, the only places you could buy wine, beer AND hard liquor by the bottles, cans, cases or kegs was at a Government owned retail store, other than in some small towns with no such store, then the hotel (EVERY town had a hotel, usually the Royal or King George) would be licenced to sell beer only off-sale, as well as full bar service. More bars are being licenced to sell all 3 types of beverages by the single or case of bottles or cans lately.

My Force was specifically created due to the "Americans" coming into the North West Territories (everything West of Lake Superior and North of the 49th parallel) and bringing "fire water" to our "Indians". The problem was, many of our first 300 left due to getting into the "fire water" themselves!

Hey, ladies and germs, if it wasn't for alcohol and sex, most of us would be unemployed!

[Dave T]

It is my personal belief that the 21 year old drinking age restriction is constitutionally unlawful. The 21st ammendment of the US constitution clearly states.

21st Amendment
Sect. 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.

Sect. 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.

Sect. 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

By repealing prohibition the US Government made it legal for all adults to purchase, possess, and consume alcholic beverages. So, I suppose the next question is - how does the Government define an adult? Well, lets look at our constitutional ammendments again for an answer;

26th Amendment
Sect. 1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

Sect. 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Well, I suppose the Congress of our country feels that 18 years old should be the official age at which an individual can make rational decisions regarding the future of the country. Does it not also make sense that they intended these persons to enjoy all of the benefits of adulthood?

I honestly think that if these laws were presented before either the State of Federal Supreme Court they would be found unlawful and be repealed. But, until they are I will continue to enforce them as they are written.

Dave

[Jim Burnes]

quote:

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Originally posted by PeteBroccolo:


My Force was specifically created due to the "Americans" coming into the North West Territories (everything West of Lake Superior and North of the 49th parallel) and bringing "fire water" to our "Indians".

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Didn't stop it, though eh?

BTW, can the common citizen brew his own little keg of beer or some wine on his own? Down here in the alleged USA it's a great hobby.

Jim Burnes
Your "Indian"

[Rimfire]

I was told by an TABC agent that the reason for a 21 years age drinking law was because many people do not fully finish growing at age 18 and that consuming alcohol before age 18 stunts your brain growth. Not sure if thats true.