by Ruth C. Engs

About the author: Ruth C. Engs is a professor in the Department of Applied Health Sciences at Indiana University.

The legal drinking age should be lowered to about 18 or 19 and young adults allowed to drink in controlled environments such as restaurants, taverns, pubs and official school and university functions. In these situations responsible drinking could be taught through role modeling and educational programs. Mature and sensible drinking behavior would be expected. This opinion is based upon research that I have been involved in for over twenty years concerning college age youth and the history of drinking in the United States and other cultures.

The Failure of Prohibition

Although the legal purchase age is 21 years of age, a majority of college students under this age consume alcohol but in...