Empowerment and respect breed responsibility, and Legal Age 21 prevents this from reaching its fullest potential. By treating 18 year olds like the adults that they are and allowing them to drink, an environment of responsibility can be fostered among this age group.
How? Chose Responsibility advocates for a "multi-faced approach that combines education, certification, and provisional licensing for 18-20 year old high school graduates who chose to consume alcohol."
A parent is charged with the direct responsibility of teaching his or her child when it comes to driving - why not alcohol consumption?
Choose Responsibility's approach would change the context of alcohol consumption, especially among college students. States could require education programs to teach 18-20 year olds about the risks of binge drinking and alcohol consumption in general. Also, the state governments could levy penalties against those who fail to abide by the law, and all violators would face suspension or confiscation of their "provisional" drinking licenses.
Currently, students don't think twice when drinking a beer or purchasing alcohol with a fake ID, which Choose Responsibility claims "breeds disrespect" for the law.
There are only four countries in the world with a drinking age of 21: joining the United States on this short list are Indonesia, Mongolia, and Palau.
Support Choose Responsibility and petition your local congressman or senator to consider revising the National Minimum Drinking Age Act or, at the very least, allowing states to start pilot drinking license programs.
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