Unique Original Articles » Alaska drinking age reduction proposed, unlikely to pass

Since 1984, the federal government has enforced a legal age of drinking by threatening federal highway financing. Arguments about the fairness or unfairness of this law have raged for years. One Alaska senator, however, thinks that members of the military should be exempted from the law. Article source - Alaska drinking age reduction proposed, not likely to pass by Newsytype.com.

Might be a drinking age re-consideration in Alaska

A bill in the Alaska legislature would lower the age of drinking for certain individuals. The Alaska drinking age, as with all states, is currently twenty-one. Rep. Bob Lynn, a representative from Anchorage and Vietnam veteran, has suggested lowering the legal age to 18 for military service members. All 18 year old service members would be able to get cigarettes and alcohol legally as long as they show a valid military ID. The legislature most likely won't be voted on by everyone after it was referred to committee.

How this change would impact everyone

A lot of reasons contribute to the belief that the Alaska age of drinking will probably stay at twenty-one. Alaska military leadership is against the bill and has made that clear. Alaska might lose $17 million in highway financing also the federal government gives with the bill. Federal law would prohibit underage solders from drinking on-base, even if they were of legal age in Alaska. About one out of every three behavioral incidents on Alaska's military bases involves alcohol, and the concern is that a lower age of drinking would increase the number of incidents.

The argument for lowering the age of drinking

If you are old enough to fight and die for your country, you need to be old enough to drink some alcohol. This is the argument Rep. Lynn's bill typically has. Getting rid of the stigma on alcohol might occur if the age of drinking were reduced. This might encourage alcohol used responsibly. There was a University of Minnesota analysis that discovered how bad a higher age of drinking is. Drinking is hardly ever reduced with it. Alcohol vehicle accidents are reduced though. This is not by much though. According to the study:

The magnitude of effects of the age-21 policy may appear small. ...However, even modest effects applied to the entire population of youth result in very large societal benefits."

Citations

U of Minnesota

collegedrinkingprevention.gov/supportingresearch/journal/wagenaar.aspx

National Public Radio

npr.org/2011/04/06/135188110/alaska-law-seeks-to-lower-drinking-age-for-troops?sc=tw
Article resource - Alaska drinking age reduction proposed, not likely to pass by Newsytype.com.
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