Lowering the drinking age to curb campus binge drinking
8:48 p.m. Tuesday, August 19, 2008
College students are moving in and saying goodbye to mom and dad and hello to freedom for the first time.
With that freedom can come underage drinking. Now in an unorthodox move, a hundred college presidents are talking about lowering the drinking age.
What do Washburn students think of the possibiliity?
It's a beautiful day on Washburn's campus and word that college presidents are looking to debate about lowering the drinking age is news to students.
Gavin Smull says, "I would like to see it stay the same."
Educators who support the proposal say it would help with binge drinking. One student agrees.
David Liston says, "I think it should be more it should be more informed about being safe about it than don't do it at all because it's going to happen no matter what."
Not only that, David feels an 18 year-old drinking age would be more fair.
"The way our country works, you can go off and die, you can elect a president. I think having a beer should be alright at this age," he said.
But MADD, Mother's Against Drunk Driving, says lowering the drinking age would lead to more alcohol-fueled accidents.
April Snook of MADD says, "The presidents who signed onto this are not looking at the scientific studies that have been done. Studies that show the 21-age law saves lives."
Erika Peterson, who is 18, says she's fine waiting a few years till she can legally pop open a can of beer.
"I'm a freshman so I don't know a whole lot about it. It should still be at 21," she said.
Studies show more than 40 percent of college students report symptoms of alcohol abuse.
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