Abolish The Drinking Age: The Conservative Case Against Alcohol Regulation

America's drinking laws contradict everything that America is supposed to be about. America is one of only a few countries with a drinking age as high as 21. Only a handful of other countries have such a high age limit. The drinking age has become a ritual, with twentyfirst birthday parties being seen as a rite of passage, an event that marks a person's transition to adulthood. Underage drinking has been a target for draconian government intrusions. Swat teams raid college campuses, police bust teenage parties, and even people in their 70s can be asked to show their Ids when buying alcohol from some shops and bars. There has never been any intelligent debate about alcohol. There has only been confusion and emotive responses. Once a substance is legal and sold in many shops, it is both futile and highly problematic to attempt to seem tough by saddling the public with licensing laws, age restrictions, and regulations on opening hours and the price of alcohol.