All 50 states as well as the District of Columbia have a minimum drinking age of 21. Although periodically there is some discussion to lower the drinking age back to age 18, usually by the 18 to 20 year-old crowd, the minimum drinking age of 21 has held steady for over 20 years.
During that time many studies have been made as to the effectiveness of keeping the minimum drinking age at 21. These studies have clearly shown that alcohol-related deaths and accidents are markedly reduced when teens are not allowed to drink until the age of 21. Many legislators have vowed to fight any bills that will change the drinking age to 18 again.
The problem with many teenagers is they feel that they are untouchable by the law because they are under age. Of course that's not true, but if the laws that lawmakers have enacted are only there to act as a threat, they won't be effective. Teenagers need to know about the no-tolerance laws on underage alcohol use. Likewise, those laws need to be enforced. If teenagers are not held accountable for their actions, it sends a message to other teenagers that those laws and rules don't apply to them.
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