Vermont Considers Lowering the Drinking Age to 18

Brooklynite · Post by **Brooklynite** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 2:22 am

Burlington, Vermont - January 25, 2005

At Nectar's in Burlington Tuesday night, Grace Potter is on stage and beer is on tap. The crowd is 21 and over, but that could change.

A bill proposed in Montpelier would lower the state's drinking age to 18, reversing a law passed in 1986. Vermont followed the nation then by requiring drinkers be 21. The movement was an effort to cut down on deadly drunk driving accidents across the country. Rep. Dick Marron, R-Stowe, says the move was a mistake: "Right now we have got a lot of binge drinking on college campuses. Kids that are over 18 are now serving in the military in Iraq. If you are old enough to fight you are old enough to drink."

Other lawmakers disagree.

"There is going to be more deaths when there is more alcohol involved that is a certainty," says Rep. Loren Shaw, R-Derby.

Bouncers check IDs at Higher Ground in South Burlington for all ages shows. The of age crowd waiting to see the show wears bracelets, those too young to be served are marked with an X on their hands.

"I can make decisions about who I want to lead my country and make decisions about taxes, but I can't have a beer with my friends or parents," says 20-year-old Charlie Guerin.

She says lowering the drinking age would reduce alcohol abuse.

"Right now people underage are going to frat parties. There's a higher risk of date rape, a higher risk of binge drinking and more chances of the destruction of property. If these people were allowed to go into bars, that would be less likely because it wouldn't be such a taboo to drink."

Some bar owners say underage drinking parties lack the supervision at pubs.

"We're better equipped to handle it than to have them on their own," says Damon Brink, who owns Nectar's and Metronome. "It takes it out of houses and woods and I don't think that's a bad thing."

But in the end, it may all come down to money. The federal government can withhold highway funds from any state with a drinking age lower than 21. If Vermont passes this bill, it could cost the state nearly $10 million.

Rep. Marron says he has gotten a half-dozen or so co-sponsors for his proposal and several others say they are interested in supporting the idea. But he admits that getting the bill passed will be an uphill battle.

Darren Perron - Channel 3 News

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Cicero · Post by **Cicero** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 7:27 am

You crazy Americans with your high drinking age. Its 18 here but it doesnt make much of a differance, 13 year olds still get drink and go get pissed in a field. (also known as knacker drinking)

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sintekk · Post by **sintekk** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 10:00 am

Cicero wrote: You crazy Americans with your high drinking age. Its 18 here but it doesnt make much of a differance, 13 year olds still get drink and go get pissed in a field. (also known as knacker drinking)

13 year olds also still get drunk here, the laws don't stop anybody who really wants teh beer

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Red Squirrel · Post by **Red Squirrel** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 1:25 pm

It's 21 in the states? It's 19 here to get in a bar, well 18 in Quebec.

But people get their boose anyway. ex: been to a few parties with high school friends and one of them is 19 so he just goes to the LCBO and gets the booze for everyone. The cashier is all "is this for you only?" and he's like "yes", looking at like 3 bags full of booze.

I'm not a drinker, but got to say, CR is pretty decent.

Tried it.

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Stasi · Post by **Stasi** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 2:38 am

I think it's sad that both adults and young people alike feel the need to have alcohol so often.

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Red Squirrel · Post by **Red Squirrel** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 6:02 pm

Yeah true. And really I dont see the point. I mean if I want to drink something with friends I just have some pop. Even at parties where there's alcohol I usually bring my own 2Litre bottle and drink that. I get to keep my conciencness, while they forget who they are, where they are, why they're there, what is going on, and when is it going to stop.

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Cicero · Post by **Cicero** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 9:09 am

I like the odd drink every now and then at partys. But at the ;last one I didnt drink and I was the only sober one and I locked the birthday girls out of their own house fopr a half an hour. I should do that more often.

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MrSelf · Post by **MrSelf** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 3:26 pm

Go Vermont.

Stasi wrote: I think it's sad that both adults and young people alike feel the need to have alcohol so often.

I agree, but no more so than caffeine and nicotine.

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Stasi · Post by **Stasi** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 7:02 pm

MrSelf wrote: Go Vermont.

Stasi wrote: I think it's sad that both adults and young people alike feel the need to have alcohol so often.

I agree, but no more so than caffeine and nicotine.

But neither caffeine nor nicotine intoxicate the way alcohol does. And neither substance's abuse is as bad as that of alcohol.

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OLKMED · Post by **OLKMED** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 12:42 am

People here in the Midwestern US can more or less get booze whenever they want, they definitely binge when they do it too.
It usually starts at high school, some kids i work with brag about how 7 guys spent $400 on beer in one weekend and drank it all, then drove home afterwards.

It's pretty ridiculous

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MrSelf · Post by **MrSelf** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:16 pm

Stasi wrote:
MrSelf wrote: Go Vermont.

Stasi wrote: I think it's sad that both adults and young people alike feel the need to have alcohol so often.

I agree, but no more so than caffeine and nicotine.

But neither caffeine nor nicotine intoxicate the way alcohol does. And neither substance's abuse is as bad as that of alcohol.

Well, that's somewhat debatable. Everyone here in America atleast is addicted to caffeine much more than the average person would think, if we banned caffeine product for a year, you'd find in a week everyone complaining of headaches and other issues that the root cause would be caffeine withdrawl. As for nicotine, I'd also disagree with you. Smokers here in America do abuse cigarettes as bad as alcohol, I think. In other countries, nicotine is combined with other chemicals, such as caffeine, to create quite the substances. You'd be surprise at how bad caffeine addiction really is, it isn't addressed yet, but it will be. Atleast people know alcohol is as addictive and intoxicating as it is.

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MrSelf · Post by **MrSelf** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:38 pm

For the sake of common ground; it is obvious that nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol, all abused on equal levels, will result in the most destructive behaviour being from alcohol. Alcohol is obviouly abused, but I tell you, so is caffeine, it's just a governmentally-sanctioned drug, as is nicotine. If nicotine wasn't in cigarettes, we would have banned it, as we have in other products, unlike Japan.

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