Mary Pat Angelini, New Jersey Assemblywoman (R-11th District, Monmouth County), talks about the legislation she sponsored in the Assembly to offer teen drinkers immunity from prosecution if they seek medical attention.
It's been a measure of the status of the 'youth vote' that the 21yo drinking age persists. I keep hearing that it represents an improvement, but then I also keep getting treated to the falling-down-drunk behaviour of the recently legal.
Personally I would prefer a law that required that from the age of 16 until the age of twenty-five that every driver be required to re-take the written test, the road test. To requalify for their license.
And then require that they work until their are 21 for the nearest agency that picks up the road kill left from driving and drinking.
Given the number of drunk driving accidents involving underage drinkers, I'm wondering if this could be extended to friends who report that their friends may be on the road or about to drive? And whether those drivers can be mandated to some kind of educational course or program involving drunk driving instead of prosecuted?
As a Resident Assistant at Carnegie Mellon years ago, we were aware of stories where students were leaving their (passed out) friends on the steps of the police station if they were suffering from alcohol poisoning. CMU instituted amnesty in the early 2000s and I think it saved lives.
Can somebody explain to me how it is constitutional to ban 18 year olds, who can vote, from drinking alcohol? Isn't there something in the constitution that says that segments of the voting population cannot be singled out for special laws?
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Comments [6]
In a free country, there would not be a drinking age.
It's been a measure of the status of the 'youth vote' that the 21yo drinking age persists. I keep hearing that it represents an improvement, but then I also keep getting treated to the falling-down-drunk behaviour of the recently legal.
Personally I would prefer a law that required that from the age of 16 until the age of twenty-five that every driver be required to re-take the written test, the road test. To requalify for their license.
And then require that they work until their are 21 for the nearest agency that picks up the road kill left from driving and drinking.
Given the number of drunk driving accidents involving underage drinkers, I'm wondering if this could be extended to friends who report that their friends may be on the road or about to drive? And whether those drivers can be mandated to some kind of educational course or program involving drunk driving instead of prosecuted?
As a Resident Assistant at Carnegie Mellon years ago, we were aware of stories where students were leaving their (passed out) friends on the steps of the police station if they were suffering from alcohol poisoning. CMU instituted amnesty in the early 2000s and I think it saved lives.
you can die for your country in war you should be able to legally drink a beer. plain and simple.
Can somebody explain to me how it is constitutional to ban 18 year olds, who can vote, from drinking alcohol? Isn't there something in the constitution that says that segments of the voting population cannot be singled out for special laws?
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