24Ochick<3

Wes Woods II, Staff Writer
Article Created: 08/20/2008 08:39:36 PM PDT




CLAREMONT - Pomona College is one of about 120 liberal arts colleges that are part of the Amethyst Initiative calling on lawmakers nationwide to discuss lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18.
"I don't hesitate lowering the age," said college President David Oxtoby.
Grace Kronenberg, assistant to the director of the Amethyst Initiative, said her organization supports an open debate on lowering the drinking age.

The organization also wants to know why in 1984 Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act to impose a penalty on states that set their drinking age lower than 21. The penalty is 10percent of a state's federal highway appropriation.

The reason for the possible change is to stop binge drinking, officials said.
While Pomona College is the only one of the Claremont Colleges to have joined the initiative, Claremont McKenna and Harvey Mudd are considering signing on too, initiative officials said.

Oxtoby supports lowering the age from 21 to 18 because of the binge drinking issue.
"With the 21-year-old age for drinking, it forces drinking behind closed doors and secret places ...," Oxtoby said. "Students will respond as adults when they're treated as adults. They'll respond in rebellious ways if they're treated as children."

Oxtoby added he believes the age should be lowered because when someone turns 18, they obtain the right to vote and can join the Army. "It's a reasonable number from that point of view," Oxtoby said.

Silas Miers, program coordinator for the California Mothers Against Drunk

Driving, does not agree with the Amethyst Initiative's goal.
"We believe in 21," Miers said. "It has saved lives. With lowering the drinking age, you're not going to decrease binge drinking and you will also push underage drinking to a much younger age."
Miers said that in Britain, where the drinking age is lowered, there are "issues with people much younger than 18 years old drinking underage."
Miers said lowering the drinking age "passes the already big problem to those in the high school community already dealing with very serious underage drinking issues."

Liz Pogust, a 21-year-old college student in Middlebury, Vt., is helping to create an alcohol curriculum for the Amethyst Initiative.
Pogust said she is working with instructors to create a curriculum that teaches students facts about alcohol without saying drinking is bad.
"We teach students drinking has its dangerous aspects to it. If students drink, we want them to understand the consequences of that. We teach a lot about the science of alcohol."
Pogust said she tries not to resort to a negative approach or a relaxed attitude toward alcohol. "We use a middle path between scare tactics and a lax, casual attitude," Pogust said.

Mtndrifter14

Ima be so pissed if this goes through because i had to wait till i was 21 lol. But at the same time I think the age should e lowered we're the only country in the world with the 21 age limit.

SoguRacing

21 should stay as the drinking age. just because you're old enough to vote or join the army doesn't mean you're mature enough to consume an alcoholic beverage responsibly.

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24Ochick<3

i agree! but it does have pro's and con's on both sides

SoguRacing

they set it where it is for a reason. why change it now. just because there is underage drink doesn't mean that we have to give in to what the minors want. same with marajuana usage and legalization.

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murda-c

I think we should raise the voting age when i turn 21.

keke

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pbcstylez

i think we should go ahead and allow it but tax the under 21 group heavily lets say 2-300%

this will help pay for all the accidents n bullshit that will need to be covered regardless

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slothonaleash

I don't agree with lowering it. We don't need seniors in high school dishing it out to the underclassmen, as if that wasn't already going on enough.

Just makes illegal drinking easier for us minors (I don't).

future240

I do think that the drinkin age being 21 makes some people want it more. I was exposed to alcohol at a very young age. I have never binge drank in my life.

To me wasnt and still aint no big thing. I turn 21 in like some weeks, all that means to me is that alcohol will be a bit more convient to get

But I say keep it 21. Because there are alot of 18 year olds in highschool, when you are 21 and a 13 year old or 16 year old asks your for a drink, you are more inclined to say no, but when you 18 not so much

shishcabobers

Honestly I don't agree if they lower the drinking age to 18, I mean one way or another a minor can easily get alcohol if they really wanted it. It could actually make thing worse, i mean cmon what next we are gonna lowering the driving age to 13 because the kid's don't like to walk to school?

Matej

In my opinion other countries are able to get away with the drinking age being lower because they don't need to drive to get wherever they want. I could see this working in like New York or Chicago, over here not so much.

murda-c

I never understood why people were so stupid and how it is so hard to have a DD.

then again, i'm smarter than the average idiot.

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Matej

No one wants to be a DD. You watch everyone else have fun and then you have to chauffeur a car smelling of vomit.

revat619

Its all about education in this country. If we educated kids properly, binge drinking wouldnt be an issue. You can drink beer and wine at pretty much any age in Europe and the teenagers over there are a lot more responsible. There's a very low occurrence of binge drinking over there as opposed to here. Hell, when i was 16, i was in italy with my dad and we went out to eat and the waitress was giving me the wine selections and what not. She hadnt even spoken to my dad yet. I was surprised then cuz i didnt know the laws. It turned out to be pretty cool.

All that aside, this is how i see it, if an 18 year old can get his shit blown off by a land mine or get gunned down in combat and come back missing limbs and what not all for the sake of our freedom, that dude should be allowed to have a drink when he comes home.

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future240

That's why ya take turns. Hell no on the bold. Throwin up in the car is a no no, if you feel you gott throw up you better open the door and throw up. I will pull over before someone throws up in my car

revat619

or do what i do when i'm the DD and drive one of the drinkers' cars. That way at the end of the night when they all pile in and somebody throws up, you just drive back to the meet up house, pick up your car and go home. Let them clean up their own shit. If it wasnt them that threw up, then they can blame themselves and the friends they kept encouraging to take more and more shots with them.

This works. Trust me. You will see instances of puking diminish greatly.

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victorw210

im 18 and im opposed to lowering it to 18 imagine high school its like age 14-18 seniors would be able to buy alcohol for everyone and you know they would

future240

That is a great idea.

yudalicious

once I turned 21, i actually learned to enjoy alcohol much more responsibly. drinking was no longer something that was on a pedestal somewhat. imo this probably cuts down over and irresponsible drinking.

Matej

Haha yeah, I never ever drive my own car. Too many katz getting wild all over the place. My friend bought a brand new Honda Element, I was always the one driving it home, after a few nights out the interior was dirty and torn up, it had a dent, a cracked window, and smelled horrible. Some people party too hard.

RiversideS13

i agree to stay at 21 years old. unfortunately there are more dumb kids around than smart and responsible kids. lower the restriction will just create more problems.

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flip3d

Yeah, seriously. Look at all the underage alcohol abuse now. How would lowering the age change that?

I cant even image the number of DUIs there will be.

future240

Lowering the age wouldnt get rid of the binge drinkin problem. It would just move the binge drinkin age to the 15-18 instead of 19-21.

The problem comes with how society as a whole treats alcohol.

Sil-Abc

stay at 21. if we lower to 18 then 16 yr olds will start to drink and shit. idiots cant drive as it is, drunk adolescents will just make it worse. no no no no no. 21 and thats final

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theronin

im sorry, if you can vote for our president, join the military and possibly die for this country, you should be allowed to drink alcohol. oh and guys, who are you tryin to kid? 16 year olds and younger are drinking anyways. get real. that shit aint gonna change.

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Vision Garage

That is true. If you can die for your country, why not drink for it too?

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Gnnr

Fine then, only those in the Military 18 and over can drink. Everyone else, 21 and over.

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Matej

They should raise dying for your country to 21.

future240