Why Did The US Raise The Legal Drinking Age To 21?

18 is the legal drinking age in most countries and it was the minimum age in most U.S. states until the 1980s. Yes, people under 21 could legally buy alcohol before President Reagan signed a law to raise the legal age for alcohol consumption. So, what made the country change its mind?

Before we get to the '80s, let's go back to the 1920s, when decades of anti-alcohol activism resulted in the Eighteenth Amendment banning the substance; ushering in Prohibition. Since the ban didn't stop people from drinking and gave rise to organized crime, President Franklin D. Roosevelt repealed the amendment in 1933. At this time, each state could decide the minimum drinking age, and most set it at 21, which was also the legal voting age. That's where it stayed until 1971, when the 26th Amendment made 18 the voting age. Because it didn't seem to make sense to trust people to elect a president but not to buy alcohol, all but 14 states lowered the drinking age to either 18, 19, or 20.

But, as always, people have to ruin everything. Irresponsible drinking led to social issues, accidents, and even fatalities. Studies that compared teenage car accidents between states with different laws found that they were higher in places with lower drinking ages. Activists once again started to campaign and Congress passed the National Minimum Legal Drinking Age Act in 1984, incentivizing every state to raise the age back to 21. 

Though it's been over 40 years, the National Minimum Drinking Age Act continues to be widely debated. Supporters point to data which suggests the law has reduced teenage drinking and drunk driving accidents. Critics point out the discrepancy of allowing people to vote, smoke, and serve in the military, but not drink. Some also argue that having a high minimum age increases the risk for dangerous drinking behaviors on college campuses.

The debate on regulating alcohol can also be seen at the state level. Although every state now abides by the minimum drinking age of 21, they differ in what is seen as acceptable consumption. While some states are taking away old bans and allowing to-go cocktails, others are cracking down on happy hours and hard seltzers. It seems that the country can't quite yet agree on what it thinks about alcohol.

Young Americans who feel lonely in the wait for their first legal drink can take heart in the fact they're not alone. There are several other countries (like Egypt, Indonesia, and United Arab Emirates) whose minimum drinking age is also 21. They can also be happy that they're not in Eritrea, where the age is set at 25, or in one of the seven countries where alcohol is completely illegal.