http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/08/18/co ... index.htmlBeginning of CNN article wrote:
(AP) -- College presidents from about 100 of the nation's best-known universities, including Duke, Dartmouth and Ohio State, are calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, saying current laws actually encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus.
The movement called the Amethyst Initiative began quietly recruiting presidents more than a year ago to provoke national debate about the drinking age.
"This is a law that is routinely evaded," said John McCardell, former president of Middlebury College in Vermont who started the organization. "It is a law that the people at whom it is directed believe is unjust and unfair and discriminatory."
I think a national debate on this could be worthwhile. It appears the raising of the drinking age in America, while lowering DWI in this age bracket, has also largely shifted alcohol use from bars and college campuses that have legal responsibilities to keep it under some control to off campus private events that have absolutely no controls.
Quote:
"It's very clear the 21-year-old drinking age will not be enforced at those campuses," said Laura Dean-Mooney, national president of MADD.
That's a very outlandish and ill informed statement. Colleges routinely enforce the current drinking restrictions primarily because of liability concerns and this proposed national debate isn't going to change that situation. Its the same reason that bars largely try to follow the current law. And Syracuse University, which is mentioned as part of this initiative, has made a lot of efforts to discourage alcohol use and 99% of it has been largely ineffective. So I suppose that means MADD wants SU to pretend their kids aren't drinking off campus?
I also think its ridiculous that MADD doesn't want to allow a national debate on this subject, where they presumably would be allowed to strenuously argue their perspective. While I'm highly sympathetic to MADD, I also find most parents are terribly naive about the alcohol use of their kids away at college. Maybe its time everyone starts facing up to the realities of the current situation instead of pretending that what isn't done openly isn't done at all. I really don't think the current hypocrisy is serving anyones interest.
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