No, why should people that don't know how to control it get it any sooner? Not everyone, but most teenagers that drink take it too far already. Many of the accidents that involve teenagers include alcohol. A found this here: http://www.youthnoise.com/page.php?page_id=2106 Reasons not to drink alcohol underage (other than being the law) 2. It's Costly! Beyond the price of alcohol, and the price of the legal penalties, it costs everyone. The National Academy of Science released a report in 2003 that underage drinking costs the United States $53 billion annually, including: violent crime, traffic crashes, burns, drowning, suicide attempts, fetal alcohol syndrome, alcohol poisonings, and treatments. It costs us all. 3. It's Risky! In 1998, an estimated 400,000 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 had unprotected sex after drinking, and an estimated 100,000 had sex when they were so intoxicated they were unable to consent. It is estimated that teenage girls who binge drink are up to 63% more likely to become teen mothers. 4. It's Not Cool! Chances are, you're a role model to someone. Whether it be a younger sibling, a younger classmate, or a friend, someone most likely looks up to you. If you drink, you let them down. 5. It's Dangerous! The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among youth ages 15 to 20. Adolescents already are at increased risk through their relative lack of driving experience, and drivers younger than 21 are more susceptible than older drivers to the alcohol-induced impairment of driving skills. The rate of fatal crashes among alcohol-involved drivers between 16 and 20 years old is more than twice the rate for alcohol-involved drivers 21 and older. 6. It's Stupid! A college survey conducted by the Boston University School of Public Health showed that among drinkers, those who were first drunk before the age of 13 were twice as likely to have unplanned sex and more than twice as likely to have unprotected sex. 7. It's Scary! The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth finds that Individuals under the age of 21 commit 45% of rapes, 44% of robberies, and 37% of other assaults. On college campuses, 95% of all violent crimes and 90% of college rapes involve the use of alcohol by the assailant, victim, or both. 8. It's Killing Your Brain! The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth reports that alcohol use during adolescence may have a direct effect on brain functioning. Negative effects include decreased ability in planning and executive functioning, memory, spatial operations, and attention. 9. It's Killing your Parents! Your parents care about you. No parent wants to get that call that their child is in the hospital for alcohol poisoning, or that their child was killed in a fatal car accident involving alcohol. 10. It's Deadly! Three teens die every day from drinking and driving, and at least six more die for other alcohol-related causes. That's nine teens a day. Is it really worth it?

Only for distinguished military men (and women i suppose). It's fine now for everyone else. The fact that our soldiers can kill before they can drink is rubbish.

I think if you are old enough to fight and die for your country, then you are old enough to drink.

No. It should be raised to never. Drinking alcohol CANNOT result in anything but bad.

The legal limit is already widely ignored. Leave it at 21, that makes the offenders very careful about their behavior. When it was 18 years old, there were many more traffic wrecks and related injuries and death. I wish that alcohol consumption were better regulated and respected, but that is not the tendency of someone who is drunk, to exercise wise judgment.

No, I think if they change it at all it should be moving it up to 25. I dont think people around the age of 21 are generally resposible enough to drink alcohol and still know how to make good choices.----But I dont think many people make great choices when theyre drunk. This would actually put me under the legal drinking age,... It would be great if they could give you a card that says youre ok to drink when you reach a certain level of maturity, not age.

YES! Teenagers are going to drink anyway. The fact that it's illegal just leads to things like left. Trust me, I know these things well.

Yes it should be, in Australia it's 18. And we seem to have no problem with it. Its kept under control, so I don't see why the drinking age should be lowered.

No! I live in Australia where the limit is 18, we have many alcohol related problems as do the English, i believe it should be raised to 21 as in the U.S What you have is great.

i would lean ether way. you know kids in the u.s. get someone to by it for them so if they lowerd it it wouldn't matter. if they highed it then they would be less acitdents, not i hole lot fewer but i little less.

i think there should be no drinking age beacuse no matter if they lower it or raise people still dont follow it. the only way people would follow the drinking age is if they lower it to 6 years old.

i think the main reason people drink underage is because they're not allowed to. if they were, maybe things would change...

it is set at twenty one for a reason but yeah i do think that it should be lowered to 18

I think it should be lowered. If you can smoke cigarettes and risk your life in the military, then why not be able to drink alcohol? And besides, even though the drinking age is 21, has that stopped anyone underage from getting drunk? No. And before everyone starts harassing me, this is my opinion and I'm entitled to it.

Of course it should be lowered. We can't just sit here and assume that minimum age 21 or preaching abstinence is going to teach our young adults responsible drinking. We have to accept that alcohol is a reality in the lives of college students and even high schoolers. We can either turn a blind eye and hope that they drink responsibly in private, or introduce it into the public eye where it can be more closely monitered and better drinking habits can be passed down. In many states, parents who try to teach their kids, even their young adults 18-20 responsible drinking in the safety of the home are breaking the law. All this does is criminalize normal people and breed disrespect for the law. How are they expected to behave maturely when the home isn't even allowed to be a classroom, I can assure you they won't simply become mature overnight once they turn 21, and without any real mature drinking experience prior to 21 you can expect them to even be foolish drinkers at 21. Not to mention minimum drinking age 21 puts alcohol on a pedestal, a higher pedestal than military service, voting for president, taxes, holding public office, marriage, raising children, and dying for your country. Making alcohol a forbidden fruit does not help, and only encourages increased binge drinking. Teach responsibility, because abstinence isn't working!

If it were up to me it would be raised to 25. That's when the brain finishes growing and people are able to see what might be the consequences of their actions.