NEW WINE & OLD BOTTLE

The United States Between 18 and 25

The US has uniformly the highest drinking age limit in the world (the legal drinking age varies between 18 and 25 across different states in India). According to the US National Underage Drinking Act of 1984, the age at which young people may start drinking alcohol across the country is 21. When certain states proposed reducing the limit to 18, the suggestion was met with public disapproval — a poll conducted by ABC News found that nearly eight in 10 Americans oppose lowering the drinking age in all states. Nonetheless, even though the US Department of Transportation insists that these laws have been instrumental in reducing traffic fatalities involving drivers between the ages of 18 and 20, the fact remains that between 1993 and 2001, this very age group showed the largest increase — 56 per cent — in binge drinking among American adults. In addition, 21 per cent of 16- to 20-year old drivers in fatal car accidents had enough alcohol in their systems to be considered legally impaired.

Mexico 18

With a drinking limit of 18, Mexico is a favourite destination for underage American revellers who pour into the border town of Tijuana by the thousands every weekend. The biggest public health concern this poses is that young drivers travelling between the two countries are often drunk. According to some sources, approximately 30 per cent of those who return to the US from Mexico between midnight and 6 am have dangerously high blood alcohol concentrations. These statistics add to the case for more lenient laws in the US.

The United Kingdom Below 18 can’t purchase liquor

Although people under the age of 18 cannot purchase liquor, 16- and 17-year olds can be served cider, beer and wine in restaurants; they are required to be under adult supervision in England...