Prohibition Lives

Let’s face it: alcohol is a drug, and as such I believe it is a good thing that it is controlled, regulated and taxed.

However, the U.S. has some ass-backward liquor laws. In fact, at 21 years, the drinking age in the U.S. is higher than it is in almost any other country in the world.

That may have something to do with that whole moralistic “Prohibition” thing we went through back in the 20s – but if so, I would like to remind the lawmakers that this is the Oughts, not the 20s, and it’s time for our liquor laws to reflect reality.

I would argue that requiring young adults to wait until they are 21 years old before they can legally purchase or consume alcohol is an ineffective way to control underage consumption of alcohol. In fact, I would argue that doing so causes more underage drinking than it prevents.

Having been in college for five years, and capable of purchasing alcohol for two of those years, I can say anecdotally that the legal requirement of 21 years for drinking does almost nothing to curb underage drinking. In fact, I can only think of one instance in my five years of collegiate experience that a legal intervention (in the form of an MIP) actually curbed underage drinking. The research on the topic backs me up – in studies done before and after New York State’s minimum purchase age was raised from 18 to 19, literally no significant difference was found in underage students’ consumption rates, intoxication, drinking attitudes or drinking problems. In fact, ever since the drinking age became 21 for all states in 1987, underage drinking has actually increased. According to studies done by Dr. Ruth Engs of Indiana University and Dr. David Hanson of the State University of New York, Potsdam, this increase is partly due to the “reactant motivation” that comes from being unilaterally prohibited to drink. Data from 3,375 students across 56 colleges showed that significantly more underage students drank than those of legal age, which demonstrates that the increase in purchase age appears to have been ineffective and, in fact, counter-productive.

There is actually evidence that higher purchase ages lead to more death and destruction from alcohol intoxication, not less. A study done in all 50 states and D.C. found a positive correlation between high purchase age and single-vehicle fatalities. That is, more underage kids died in car accidents as a result of intoxication in states where the purchase age was higher.

The majority of underage people I know drink regardless of its illegality. They drink alone. They drink in groups. They drink beer, wine, liquor and cider. They drink homebrew. They drink prior to going out, before seeing their parents, before work, before tests, before class, after class, before bed, and before, during and after any social event. They purchase alcohol mostly by proxy and occasionally with fake IDs. In fact, I would venture to guess that if underage drinkers stopped purchasing alcohol by proxy en masse, the alcoholic beverage industry would suffer a decrease in revenue. It may not be much, but when you’re dealing with a $6.7 billion dollar industry (FY 2005 figures), even a nine percent decrease in gross revenue would be enough to completely cancel out the industry’s yearly growth rate. That would change a growing industry to a stagnant one, and that is something that, as a business student, I can guarantee that no manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer of alcoholic beverages would want.

So, in fact, there are all these business people making a living (and in some cases getting wealthy) off underage drinkers who are drinking illegally and at considerable risk to their permanent record, health and future.

Which brings me to my next point. Underage drinkers, who are breaking the law in a rebellious orgy every time they take a drink, are prone to acts of immoderation in drinking that are unheard of in other (legal) age groups. When was the last time you saw a 45-year-old deep throat a beer bong or do a keg stand? In countries with lower (or no) minimum drinking age, the types and effects of alcohol, the proper use of it, and perhaps most importantly, how to avoid getting stone-cold-blind-falling-down-drunk, is just one more part of a young person’s education. When Italian youth are served wine with every other meal from 16 on, they learn to respect the intoxicating effects of a good Chianti, rather than view it as a means to an end (that end being getting so totally blasted that they no longer fear death, crowds, or that hottie they’ve been too afraid to approach all night).

The evidence is clear. Our arbitrarily-high drinking age has about the same effect on the targeted group as Prohibition did – destroying moderate drinking habits, promoting alcohol abuse, removing social control and restricting alcohol education. About the only things the laws don’t do is reduce alcoholic beverage sale revenue – a fact that industry people everywhere must rejoice at.

So what to do about this problem? Besides voting, writing your Congressman, or composing op-ed pieces, there’s not a whole lot you can do. For my part, I can at least address a tiny bit of the “education” part of the problem. So below is a handy guide to enjoying your alcohol without getting so plastered you’ll lose consciousness and/or your virginity.