Can you drink at 18 years old?
It’s one of the seemingly ironclad rules of adolescence: In the United States, you can’t drink legally until you’re 21. Of course, our underage consumption laws are flouted regularly. Some states make exceptions for when minors may consume alcohol. Others make exceptions for when they may possess it.
Is it legal to drink at 18 in the US?
Although the minimum legal age to purchase alcohol is 21 in all states and most territories (see National Minimum Drinking Age Act), the legal details for consumption vary greatly. While a few states completely ban alcohol usage for people under 18, the majority have exceptions that permit consumption.
Why you should be able to drink at 18?
Lowering the drinking age to 18 would allow 18-to-20-year-olds to consume alcohol safely in regulated environments, with supervision. Lowering the drinking age would also reduce the number of alcohol-related accidents among underage drinkers.
Which US states can you drink at 18?
19 for all alcoholic beverages: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, New York, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. 18 for all alcoholic beverages: Hawaii, Louisiana and Vermont.
What states is the drinking age 18?
As you can see, it quickly gets confusing when it comes to the minimum legal age and liquor. There are only five states with no exceptions to the federal law: Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, New Hampshire, and West Virginia.
Can you drink at 18 with parents?
on private non alcohol-selling premises, with parental consent: Underage consumption of alcohol in some states is allowed on private, non alcohol-selling premises as long as the under age person has the consent and/or is accompanied by the physical presence of a parent or legal guardian.
Can you drink at 18 with your parents?
Why is the drinking age 21 and not 18?
In short, we ended up with a national minimum age of 21 because of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. This law basically told states that they had to enact a minimum drinking age of 21 or lose up to 10 percent of their federal highway funding.
What’s the youngest legal drinking age in the world?
16 years
Although the majority of the countries around the world have set the MLDA at 18 years, 16 years is considered the youngest drinking age.
Can you drink at 18 in Cali?
In California, the legal drinking age is 21. If a person sells or furnishes alcohol to anyone under that age, they could be charged with a misdemeanor. The law also applies to underage individuals who purchase or attempt to purchase alcoholic beverages.
Why drinking age should not be lowered?
According to the CDC, lowering the drinking age could impair the brain’s development causing depression, decreased motor skills, or memory loss. One can argue that the earlier a person starts to drink, the more likely they are prone to developing alcohol related problems in life.