Posts Tagged ‘Legal Drinking Age’

In terms of statistics, the US has the highest legal drinking age throughout the world. In US, legal drinking age is set on the basis of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. According to this act, it is the responsibility of states to enforce a minimum legal drinking age of 21 years. States that do not follow such patterns may lose more than ten percent of their federal funding for highway apportionment.

Ohio

The legal drinking age in Ohio is 21 years. If you break the law in this regard, you can face a sentence of six months in jail with a fine of $1,000. At Ohio, you cannot give alcohol to anyone that is below the age of 21 years. This is applicable even if you are in your own house and parents have given approval.

Alabama

Similar to Ohio, no one below the age of 21 is allowed to indulge in buying and consumption of alcohol in Alabama.

Alaska

If you are below the age of 21 then you cannot consume alcohol in Alaska without the permission of your parents. However, people below the age of 21 are not allowed to drink in bars, restaurants and liquor stores.

Arizona

Individuals under the age of 21 are not allowed to buy alcohol in Arizona. Although in the case of a ceremony or religious service, you can consume alcohol.

Arkansas

Individuals under the age of 21 are not allowed to buy or consume alcohol in Arkansas. If you are under the age of 21, you cannot drive any motor vehicle with a Blood Alcohol Concentration level of .02

California

According to California laws, no one below the age of 21 is allowed to consume alcohol. You will not be able to drive a motor vehicle with a Blood Alcohol Concentration of .01 or more.

Colorado

If your age is less than 21, you cannot consume alcohol in Colorado unless your parent has given you approval to drink. But you can only do this on private property under the supervision of your parent.

Delaware

No one under the age of 21 is allowed to consume alcohol in Delaware.

Florida

No one under the age of 21 is allowed to consume alcohol in the Florida. But interestingly you are given a freedom to taste alcoholic beverage if it is required of a class in a college. But to do this, you need to be more than 18 years old.

Georgia

In the state of Georgia, you cannot consume alcohol if you are less than 21 year of age. Only exception to this rule is when your parent has given you permission to drink.

Wyoming

In the state of Wyoming, you cannot buy or consume alcohol if you happen to be less than 21 years of age. DUI laws in Wyoming are quite strict.

Washington

According to Washington laws, anyone below the age of 21 is not allowed to buy and consume alcohol. You are not allowed to drive motor vehicle with a Blood Alcohol Concentration level of .02 or more. If your age is more than 21, you cannot drive motor vehicle with a Blood Alcohol Concentration level of .08 or more.

Texas

Anyone below the age of 21 is not allowed to buy, posses, or consume alcohol in the state of Texas. However, minors can consume alcohol under the supervision of their parents or guardian. You will not be able to drive a motor vehicle if there are any traceable amounts of alcohol found in your blood stream.

Tennessee

Legally, you are not allowed to buy or transport alcohol in the state of Tennessee if you happen to be under the age of 21.

Is US Military Bound by the Legal Drinking Age of the State?

This seems to be a very valid question! We all know that every state in the US has a regulation on the legal minimum drinking age. When individuals below the legal drinking age are found consuming alcohol, they are convicted and subjected to trial in a court of law. What happens when in comes to the US military personnel? Are they bound by the laws of the state in which they have set their base or do they have an altogether different ruling?

According to an article posted in a website exclusively meant for alcohol related queries. A nationwide non scientific poll was conducted which reported that every seven out of the eight people from a group of 1,323 respondents voted for consumption of alcohol by military personnel irrespective of their age.

Military Personal and Drinking Laws

While traditionally military personnel were allowed to drink while on any federal military installations, during later eighties the government was forced to stop it. According to the Federal Law of United States Code the military personnel are required to adopt the law of the state in which they have set up their military installations. However there are exceptions to this rule. Where the military installations are set up at a place which is situated within 50 miles from countries like Mexico or Canada or a state which imposes a lower drinking age they can adopt the lower age limit.

The Zero Tolerance Test

You must be aware that the states have a number regulations like the Field Sobriety Tests through which they control Alcohol Abuse on road. Blood Alcohol Content Test or the BAC test is conducted on those, who are suspected to have drunk and where the results exceed the permitted levels, they are convicted and are subjected to further investigations. Zero Tolerance Test is prescribed for those individuals who are below the legal drinking age. Any amount of intoxication found in their body will lead to conviction.

While complying with the rules the military personnel are also required to abide by the drinking laws of the state and are subject to legal drinking age requirements, BAC and Zero Tolerance Test. The Department of Defense (DOD) codification talks about the adoption of a lower drinking age of the state or the jurisdiction of Mexico or Canada where the DOD installation is situated within 50 miles from Mexico or Canada.

Legal Drinking Age – Outside the US

The Department of Defense DOD installations located outside the US shall carry a minimum legal drinking age of 18 years for military personnel. Any higher age will depend upon the agreements, treaties and the given situation subject to the discretion of the installation commander.

Further information on this topic is welcome; please post your opinions and information on this forum for the benefit of everyone.

What Do You Mean By Legal Drinking Age?

The age at which a person is allowed to purchase and consume alcohol legally is called the legal drinking age. The legal drinking age varies across the world. While people in continents like Europe consume alcohol at a very young age of 16, in India it is as high as 25 years. In Islamic countries consumption of alcohol is completely prohibited by the people of that religion. Every country has a defined legal drinking age prescribed for its citizens. The issue of identifying the optimum drinking age in order to avoid alcoholic abuse is a never ending problem. It involves a number of issues like freedom, parental interference and responsibility.

What Is The Legal Drinking Age In The US?

Legal drinking age in the US is 21 years. Though a legal age of 21 is prescribed in the US, citizens are legally allowed to drink even below the legal age. Prior to the enactment of National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, different states in the US had different legally prescribed age for drinking. With the enactment of this Act all the states where required to rise the minimum age for purchase and consumption of alcoholic beverages to 21. Those states which do not comply with the said requirement will face a reduction in their share of highway funds allotted under the Federal Highway Aid Act. This law does not apply to a person below 21 years of age where he is found in public possession of alcohol where it is required under religious, educational, medical and private and professional or occupational purposes.

The exception to this rule is extended where the family member of the individual consents. Certain other aspects like consumption in a private property also allows individuals below the age of 21 to consume alcohol under exception rule. Again, what is considered a private property differs from state to state.

Legal Drinking Age In The US Is Considered The Highest

The legal drinking age in the US is considered too high. Well the question here is about the effectiveness of the 21 years legislation in curbing the alcoholic abuse. As of January 2007, close to 14 states in the US prohibit underage consumption of alcohol while 19 states do not specifically prohibit consumption of alcohol below 21 years of age and 17 states allow underage consumption under family consent or private consumption criteria. How effectively one can curb alcoholic abuse and what will be the right age for its implementation is irreconcilable.