Debate over the legal drinking age in the United States has raged for decades. Recent crackdowns by the Furman University Police Department on gatherings in campus apartments and bar activity have brought this issue to the forefront of universitycampus discussion. These enforcement efforts demonstrate that America’s drinking age of 21 is not preventing underage drinking—it is just making it more dangerous.
At 18, Americans are legal adults with the ability to serve in the military or be drafted, vote, sign contracts, or get married, yet purchasing alcohol remains illegal. This creates an inconsistent and problematic dynamic where young adults are trusted to make life-altering decisions but are not trusted to consume alcohol responsibly.
However, underage American adults still consume alcohol. In a 2023 survey conducted by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 49.6% of full-time college students confirmed that they had drunk alcohol, and 29.3% engaged in binge drinking within the past month, demonstrating the prevalence of underage alcohol consumption. The gap between these statistics and the ideal of complete abstinence creates policy challenges for universities like Furman, where enforcement strategies may inadvertently compromise student safety. Furman’s current enforcement approach highlights this problem: when students fear harsh consequences, they may not seek medical assistance in emergencies and may be hesitant to report sexual assault incidents that occur while drinking.
Although Furman University permits students to use an amnesty policy once, this single-use limitation is not enough, as students are likely to encounter multiple difficult situations over their four years at Furman. This creates a dangerous environment where students must choose between their health and safety andor legal protection. Rather than focus on a failing enforcement policy, the significant resources used to monitor, investigate, and process underage drinking cases could be utilized to further address sexual assault prevention, provide more comprehensive safe ride programs, or enhance other campus safety measures.
When young adults are legally treated as independent at 18 but are restricted from buying alcohol until 21, it can lead to resentment and encourage irresponsible behavior in uncontrolled environments. The restriction of alcohol could lead to overdrinking when opportunities arise, as young adults can feel compelled to binge on these occasions, creating safety concerns. According to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, excessive alcohol use contributes to 4,600 fatalities among American youth annually.
The way much of the world handles the drinking age could offer a solution. In many European countries, the legal drinking age is generally between 16 and 18, with other countries, like Germany, adopting a graduated system that allows beer and wine at 16 and liquor at 18. The United StatesU.S. has one of the highest drinking ages in the world, yet it has not set us ahead of any other countriesy with lower drinking ages. According to the World Health Organization, America has a higher prevalence of alcohol-use disorders than many European countries with lower minimum drinking ages. The U.S. population also has a higher occurrence of heavy episodic drinking, or binge drinking, than other developed countries with lower minimum legal drinking age such as, Australia, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Changing the minimum legal drinking age could help curb many of the issues with the drinking policy today, including traffic incidents. One of the most common arguments for a higher minimum legal drinking age is to reduce drunk driving incidents and fatalities. A study on the correlation between drinking age and traffic incidents demonstrated that raising the drinking age simplyjust transferred drunk driving deaths from the 18-20 year old age bracket to the 21-24 age group. Instead of emphasizing a high minimum drinking age, we should prioritize policy changes that promote healthier cultural attitudes toward alcohol, implement stricter penalties for drunk driving, and expand education about resources and support services for individuals struggling with alcohol use disorders. While there are no demonstrated benefits to the age minimum, it encourages binge drinking and uses excessive resources to penalize underage drinking that could be better allocated to other campus services.
America’s drinking age has created a dangerous drinking environment for young adults. Contact your Congressional representative and advocate for change.