Lowering the drinking age: Local reaction
8:27 p.m. Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Colleges and universities across the nation are being asked to sign a petition and join in a debate about the drinking age.
It's called the Amethyst Initiative and it's goal is to reduce binge drinking.
One suggestion is to lower the drinking age to 18, but the report also wants to look at better education for college students.
Dr. Jim Williams, the Vice President of Emporia State says, "Our conversations have focused on outreach assistance and opportunities to help educate students on alcohol consumption. I don't think lowering the age would make a difference."
The petition in question
Read the Amethyst Initiative petition here.
A list of the petition signatories as of August 13, 2008 is available here.
K-State's Vice President Pat Bosco says, "The petition calls for dealing with personal responsibility in 18 through 20 year-olds. We're in favor of it (a discussion) as long as it's based on scientific research, not stories and emotions."
Lynn Bretz, Director of University Communications at KU says, "We received the petition. We're not signing it but recognize their initiative is raising an important issue, that when freshman arrive, they already have a pattern of drinking till they pass out."
There are 3,000 colleges and universities in the nation. So far, 100 have signed on.
Related story: Lowering the drinking age to curb campus binge drinking
Comments
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Aug. 21, 2008 at 11:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)franwood (anonymous)
It is hard to believe that lowering the drinking age to 18 would stop binge drinking. It would just mean the college presidents would not have to take any responsibility for enforcing any rules about it. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has said that 900 lives per year have been saved after the drinking age was raised to 21. The brain continues to grow into the early/mid 20's and drinking alcohol before this age damages the brain. In most countries with lower drinking ages, intoxication is much more common among young people than in the U.S. While the minimum drinking age law is often violated, its shortcomings are not within the law itself but rather its enforcement.
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