Eric Hartley: Open debate needed on drinking age

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Um Research?? - August 31, 2008

You kidding me? Popular opinion, should go to vote and let the people speak. Everything should be refreshed as time goes on and maybe this is one of the laws that need to be reconcidered. My Opinion, old enough to die for this country you should have all the freedoms you are fighting for. If we let scientific research dictate our laws, the idea of freedom gets misdirected. Let the process work and it will work for you, vote on it and respect the results.

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George Herlth III - Catonsville, MD - Karma: Bad

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re: debate on drinking - August 31, 2008

Nancy from Ohio... while it is great that you are supplying us with polling information, what you are supplying for the debate is the opinion, not of experts, but of the general public, who are probably answering out of fear for their own children. I think more important data for discussion would be hard scientific research about whether or not the things these people think will happen. I don't think that the lessons of drinking come with age, they come with experience, whether you are 18 or 21 when you start drinking. Additionally, as a teacher, the only thing I feel safe telling my high school students about drinking is "don't do it." Wouldn't it be better, as we prepare our students for college and career, to teach them about responsible drinking than to not be able to discuss the subject at all?

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J. Mason - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Bad

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Kegs to cans - August 29, 2008

I was at the U of MD when the campus outlawed kegs in lieu of canned/bottled beer on campus or at any building associated with the campus...ie Fraternity Houses. That was my freshman year. My sophmore year, a grad student did her dissertation on the topic (the findings were published in the student paper) and found (by interviewing the local liquor stores and looking at their receipts and invoices) that the Greeks were now ordering and drinking MORE beer than they had prior to the switch. I'm quite certain that Dr. Kirwan (then head of the school) meant well and his intentions were good, but the facts remain that kids are going to drink, no matter what the drinking age, and efforts to curb that tend to have unanticipated effects. When I was 17-19 I binge drank all the time to complete drunkeness, then I got a fake ID, and did so infrequently as I could buy beer whenever I wanted to. By the time I was 21 and was actually legal, I only drank occassionally, socially, and rarely if ever got wasted. If nothing else, I think colleges should be able to let students over 18 drink ON campus, and should harshly enforce (expel violators) drinking and driving rules if students try to drive cars off campus. That way, you reduce the binge factor on campuses, while not affecting the community at large. If kids could drink on campus, it is unlikely they would find the need to leave...

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Gideon W. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral

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Way beyond what I said - August 28, 2008

Jean -- you take my comments way out of context and make several HUGE leaps in logic that just do not hold up. Just because I think it is important for parents to teach their children to drink alcohol responsibly does not mean I will host drinking parties for kids. It isn't my job to raise someone else's kids. Furthermore, I would suggest that parents who host these types of parties are NOT teaching responsible drinking to their children. Candy is bad for kids to eat, yet we don't ban the consumption of sugar until they are "old enough" to be responsible about it. Instead we expect parents and teachers to teach their children how to consume candy responsibly. The same for alcohol. We need parents and teachers to teach teens how to RESPONSIBLY consume alcohol. But it is kind of hard to do that when they cannot drink it AT ALL.

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R. Black - Churchton, MD - Karma: Neutral

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All about money - August 28, 2008

As I was trying to state before, I am sure these college presidents are motivated by money from the beer and alcohol manufacturers. Imagine, the names of the scholarships if the age was only 18. By the way, what happens with the kids who aren't in college b/c they didn't have the money, etc. Now they can come home and crack open a beer and feel sorry for themselves and not have to hide it from Mommy and Daddy!! By the way R. Black while your idea is noble and idealistic, just remember this.. You are a parent, not a friend, when it comes down to the nitty gritty. I admire what you want to do, but when you are the parent on the block hosting the "Teen Party" because you are the "cool mom" you are going to be responsible for all of those kids drinking on your property. I know you didn't say that, however, your kids will tell their friends that you let them drink and then, b/c you are your child's friend, and he/she has told his friends, their parents will joyfully give you the responsiblity of watching their children get drunk while they go out and have a quiet evening, leaving you to voluntarily supervise them. You will host the parties so they are in your house. Don't fall asleep during these parties, make sure the kids don't have duplicate keys to their cars etc. They will leave, drunk and kill themselves, or someone else. Then who's fault is it?

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jean r. - bowie, MD - Karma: Bad

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It is all about money - August 28, 2008

These

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jean richards - bowie, MD - Karma: Bad

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To be honest.. - August 27, 2008

I could really care less what a prohibitionist from Ohio thinks. This is an Annapolis newspaper website. Go spread your puritan beliefs in Ohio! The poll above is based on opinions only. It is also published by an insurance company that has a vested interest in not having ANYONE drinking because I would imagine a large portion of their insurance claims whether auto or not arise from some sort of alcohol related incident. The bottom line is, how/when do we teach our children how to consume an alcoholic beverage appropriately? When they are "adults" at 21 (wait I thought they were adults at 18?) or when they are still at home with their parents?

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R. Black - Churchton, MD - Karma: Neutral

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Debate on drinking age - August 27, 2008

Here is some additional information on underage drinking. Last week, Nationwide Insurance released a survey containing some of the most recent public opinion on the topic. This Nationwide Insurance Survey on Underage Drinking was done in April 2008 by Opinion Research Corporation, an independent third party. Among the key findings: More than half of the adults say they are less likely to vote for a state representative who supports lowering the legal limit. Americans continue to overwhelmingly reject an ongoing push to lower the legal drinking age from 21 to 18. 72 percent of adults think lowering the drinking age will make alcohol more accessible to kids. Nearly half believe it would increase binge drinking among teens. Organized efforts have been under way in nine states in the past year to lower the drinking age. For other key findings: http://www.nationwide.com/newsroom/stop-underage-drinking.jsp

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Nancy Smeltzer - Columbus, OH - Karma: Bad

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Prohibitionists - August 26, 2008

Once again...the drinking age is nothing more than an attempt by those who oppose the consumption of alcohol to try to impose their morals on the rest of us. Why is it we find it perfectly acceptable to allow an 18 year old to vote in elections, die for their country, and drive vehicles that can go up to 100 mph but it isn't acceptable for them to determine what they can and cannot drink? I would feel much safer having 16 year olds sitting at home drinking a beer than having a 16 year old behind the wheel of the car.

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R. Black - Churchton, MD - Karma: Neutral