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Some College Presidents Call for a Lower Drinking Age

Tuesday, August 19 2008

College presidents from about 100 well known universities across the nation are calling for a national debate about lowering the drinking age. Presidents who support the so-called "Amethyst Initiative" include Duke, Dartmouth, Ohio State, as well as California schools including Pacific University, Pacific Lutheran University and Pomona College.

Supporters say they don't believe the current law is working and actually encourages a "culture of dangerous, clandestine binge drinking." They say college students will drink no matter what, but do so more dangerously when it's illegal.

The Amethyst movement already faces sharp criticism. The group, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, believes lowering the drinking age would be a huge mistake. Lory Gleason, who heads the Riverside County Chapter, says, "It's very irresponsible. I just think it's going to lead to more drunk driving fatalities, drunk driving crashes." Six years ago, Gleason lost her son, 20-year-old Ryan Smith to a drunk driver. Gleason says the driver was a four-time repeat offender who started drinking in his teens.

Meanwhile, the CEO of MADD says nearly all peer-reviewed studies looking at the change showed raising the drinking age reduced drunk-driving deaths. Both sides, however, agree that binge drinking is a huge problem on college campuses. Research has shown over 40 percent of college students reported at least one symptom of alcohol abuse or dependence.

To learn more about the Amethyst Initiative or which schools have signed on, you can go to http://www.amethystinitiative.org/

Source: http://www.deserttelevision.com/Global/story.asp?S=8862313

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