The simple fact is 18 year olds are drinking if the want to be drinking. To say your body is mature enough to fight a war but not mature enough to drink is asinine and makes no logical sence. To be perfectly honest a lot of people are "done" drinking before they turn 21. I think that either the drinking age should be lowered to 18 or the legal age to become a consenting adult should be 21. To have a four year age gap between the two is very outdated and out of touch with reality.

"Sin" tax revenue.

18 year olds in the military are supervised by adults. Should they be drunk there will be very significant consequences.

18 year olds that are not in the military face the "consequence free" kind of enforcement that we have allowed our civilian population to enjoy and look what that has led to.

The frontal cortex, what some refer to as the "Executive" part of the brain (because it is where we make decisions), is not even fully formed until we reach our early twenties. This implies that people who are 21 may not be fully capable of making a responsible decision. Instead of lowering the drinking age, and potentially allowing for more injuries, deaths, and heartache, perhaps we should be discussing raising the drinking age.

When someone drinks after they turn 18 should be THEIR choice and not the government's. In a country that was founded on principles of freedom the drinking age seems unconstitutional, and unamerican.

should be the same. Driving is currently age 16, so that should the the age for drinking.

that if a person is old enough to be in the military and fight a war he or she should be old enough to have a drink. Let's raise the age for fighting wars to 21. It seems by that time people are a little less enthusiastic about such things. Maybe 50 would be a good age for a draft so these politicians could go and get the job done that they start. Oh that's right they would be exempt.

At 18 you're old enough to vote, old enough to join the military (even be drafted), and old enough to everything that adults do.... except drink alcohol. It's a stupid and outdated law. It's time to bring the drinking age in line with everything else. The benefits of reducing binge drinking are a bonus. Ultimately, it's just not appropriate that we treat supposed adults like children until they're 21. For the record, I'm 30, and started drinking at 15. The fact that it was illegal was no deterrent, nor did it encourage me to "binge drink". It simply made it more expensive for me to get my beer.

"Binge drinking" is largely a result of the "forbidden fruit" syndrome. "Hey, look at me - I'm partying just like an adult! K-()-()-L ! " The US fosters this mindset with a ridiculously high drinking age. Why is 21 the magic number? It used to be you weren't an adult until you were 21. Couldn't vote, couldn't drink, couldn't sign a contract. Now you're an adult at 18 only in that the government can take from you, but you get nothing in return. In Germany, for instance, the drinking age is 16 (and the driving age is 18). And that only applies to drinking in public. Kids learn responsible drinking at home and legally sanctioned events, like having a beer after school with your teacher while he explains why you got the grade you did on your homework assignment. No forbidden fruit, no "look at me" posing, and because of that much less problem drinking than here in the US. When I was in high school, we had no place to go to drink legally, so we drove around in a car and drank. I'm sure that still happens today. Great law, that 21 drinking age! Sure teaches kids responsibility!

such as marrying, having a child, renting an apartment, fighting for our country and often dying in the process, then it should be legal for them to purchase and comsume alcohol also.

Look, the guys who are spearheading this deal are college presidents. Their real purpose is to reduce liabilities that occur on campus. That is all this really is. Follow the money.

If 18 to 20 year olds are judged grown up enough to fight and possibly die for there country's freedom - then they are old enough to make the descision to drink or not.

Oh, you can carry that full auto M60, but not have a drink?!? You are "adult" enough to carry that M14, M16, M60), but too much of a baby to have a drink?!!!!!!!??? Some people in this country really need to take a reality pill on this issue.

I really don't have a problem with lowering the drinking age to 18... but I wonder if that's really the issue here?
Looks to me like the College & University Presidents are looking for a way to reduce the school's liability. If everyone at college is of legal age to drink, the school, and especially the fraternities, can no longer be held responsible when some 20 year old gets drunk and falls out a 3rd floor window.

I don't see a big difference in maturity between 18 and 21 in general. Besides 18 is leagal in Europe.

At one time the drinking age was 18 and it never made sense to me why it was raised to 21. Old enough to vote and fight or die for your country should be old enough to enjoy a beer afterwards.

Some will say an 18 year old is not mature enough or responsible enough but the law on everthing else in life says they are.. old enough to sign legal agreements and make other decisions that will affect them and others. I say let the imatur ones weedd themselves out - darwinism works if we stop trying to save the idiots from themselves there will be fewer of them to deal with in the long run.

The mandatory drinking age has always irritated me. What gives govt. the right to tell someone when they are mature enough to drink?
.
As stated above. You can get drafted, serve in the military and vote. But whoa, whoa, whoa you can't drink, your underage buddy. It's for you own good. That's a load of crap..

By the time they reach college it is almost too late to deal effectively with binge drinking but they do have the right idea. College kids are going to drink. Illegal drinking does tend to encourage binge drinking rather than being able to legally go to a bar and have a couple beers with your friends.
.
The real solution, of course, is with the family and the attitude towards drinking that is fostered there. Families that allow everyone to drink with dinner no matter what age also tend to not encourage drunken behaviors. I know several people who started drinking alcohol at age 5 and have only been drunk once in their entire life - the family disapproval of overindulging while normalizing (rather than making it the forbidden fruit) drinking was extremely effective.

the age that we send young Americans into combat. It seems to me that if your willing to fight for freedom you should be entitled to it.