Illini_152 From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 1000 posts, RR: 2 Reply 1, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 6843 times:
The federal government pressured all the states to adopt 21 as the drinking age about 15 years ago. There are some exceptions, however- like in Illinois, it is leagal for someone over 18 to drink alcohol on private property under the supervision of a parent or guardian. And many places have VERY lax enforcement of that law in the first place.
For the most part, though, it's 21 to drink everywhere
Happy contrails - I support B747Skipper and Jetguy
FlagshipAZ From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 3419 posts, RR: 15 Reply 2, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 6841 times:
It's 21 years old in every state of the union. All 50 of them. No exceptions to this rule. Regards.
"Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." --Ben Franklin
Cba From United States of America, joined Jul 2000, 4530 posts, RR: 3 Reply 5, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 6821 times:
Stupid law. An 18 year old is old enough to vote and is old enough to die for his country, yet he can't go out and buy a beer.
JetService From United States of America, joined Feb 2000, 4798 posts, RR: 13 Reply 6, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 6815 times:
Heavy, for what its worth, when 18 year olds join the military, they are still surrounded by supervision and leadership. Not sure if that makes a difference.
Srbmod From United States of America, joined Mar 2001, 16888 posts, RR: 51 Reply 7, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 6808 times:
Some states were slow to go to changing the leagl drinking age to 21; Louisiana was one of the last states to do so. The Federal government essentially told states to change their drinking ages to 21 or lose Federal funding for highways. Louisiana tried to get around it by making 21 the legal age to purchase alcohol, but made the legal age for possession and consumption 18. But the Feds saw through their attempt, and withheld Federal highway funds (which help to maintain roads) and the state had some of the worst roads in the US as a result.
Seb146 From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 9831 posts, RR: 17 Reply 8, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 6806 times:
Yes, to purchase alcohol or to be permitted into a club or bar, you have to be 21 or older. Everywhere. Period. If an officer smells liquor on a minors breath, that person as well as the person who gave it to them will be in trouble. HOWEVER, I know minors that drink and are not stupid about having alcohol. In some parts of the country it is acceptable for minors to drink. Not legal, but acceptable.
Sabena332 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 9, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 18 hours ago) and read 6799 times:
If an officer smells liquor on a minors breath, that person as well as the person who gave it to them will be in trouble.
I can imagine that there are strict consequences for someone who sells alcohol to a person under 21, every time when I ordered a beer in the USA my ID got checked very carefully. Only one time (on board a DL flight) I could buy a beer without showing my ID.
Illini_152 From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 1000 posts, RR: 2 Reply 10, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 18 hours ago) and read 6777 times:
Seb,
Not quite. Drinking, yes. But local municipalities are free to pass regulations about clubs and such. For example, here in Champaign County, you have to be 18 to get into a bar, but in the City of Champaign, while Urbana has no law, so it's 18 there. You have to be 21 to drink, but only 19 to get in.
There is kind of nod-nod wink-wink between the bar owners and the local politicians though; they could eliminate underage drinking in a heartbeat if they wanted to; all they'd have to do is start fining bar owners if they found minors in possesion of alcohol, and raiding the bars once a week. But the local gov't knows that a LARGE percentage of their liquor tax revenue comes from underage drinkers. And bar owners know a large ammount of their profits come from underage drinkers.
So they raid sporaidicly, handing out a few drinking tickets here and there just to students. Bar owners win, city wins, students get to drink underage pretty freely, but will get screwed when caught.
Like I said, the letter of the law is 21. How well it's enforced is a different matter entirely.
Happy contrails - I support B747Skipper and Jetguy
Racko From Germany, joined Nov 2001, 4838 posts, RR: 21 Reply 12, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 6742 times:
Driving with 16 and drinking with 21...
Actually, I think I would've missed many great times at parties in my youth if we were not allowed to drink alcohol.
Although I would've died for being allowed to drive with 16 when I was younger than 18, by now if I think back how people are with 16, I think it's a good thing that they aren't allowed to drive cars.
USAirways737 From United States of America, joined Jan 2000, 1026 posts, RR: 1 Reply 13, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 6703 times:
Honestly the drinking age doesn't matter too much. If I want to get drunk this weekend all I have to do is make a phone call and I have it. Yes it is a little harder to get then going to the liquor store myself, but it still is quite easy to do. I'm fine with the laws the way they are. Drive legally at 16, Drink illegally at 16 (just don't mix the two), Drink legally at 21. You just have to try a little harder not to get caught.
An-225 From United States of America, joined Sep 2000, 3950 posts, RR: 45 Reply 14, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 7 hours ago) and read 6669 times:
It was never a problem for me to get alcohol when I was underage. When I went to San Francisco and hung out with Superfly, we got into all kinds of bars and restaurants, and I had no problems getting alcohol. That was my last underage drinking binge.
Alex.
Money does not bring you happiness. But it's better to cry in your own private limo than on a cold bus stop.
Sponsor Message: 
From , joined Dec 1969, posts, 
From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 1000 posts, 
From , joined Dec 1969, posts, 
From , joined Dec 1969, posts, 
Printer friendly format 
