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Let's Teach Teens How to Drink (Wisely)

By John Johnson,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 20, 2009 9:20 AM CDT

(Newser) – It's time to stop treating underage drinking like a joke—5,000 deaths and 100,000 sexual assaults a year should make that clear—and give states the freedom to get creative with their laws, writes John McCardell in the Atlantic. The federal age-21 restriction only pushes the drinking underground and makes it more dangerous, he contends, so why not try allowing states to opt out without penalty? Some alternatives:

  • Allow 18-year-olds to drink if they've finished high school, attended a meaningful alcohol-education course, and kept their record clean.
  • Mandate alcohol education at an early age.
  • Adopt zero-tolerance laws for drivers of all ages.
  • Require ignition interlocks on car—a high blood-alcohol level and it won't start.

Genuine alcohol-education programs might help cut down on abuse.
Genuine alcohol-education programs might help cut down on abuse.   (Shutter Stock)
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The way our society addresses this problem has been about as effective as a parachute that opens on the second bounce. - John McCardell, Atlantic

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 21 comments
prowlerzee
Jul 28, 2009 3:11 AM CDT
Fondue is a slave. It's as if he's advocating that Gates should've been arrested because he wasn't deferential enough to the "distinguished" officer and deserved to be arrested in his own home. In fact, "driving is a privilege" is a police state mantra that has worked on most of you sheep. But the reality is, the Constitution guarantees us RIGHTS that are unspecified for a reason. We have MANY more rights than are spelled out. They are inalienably ours. If putting people at risk were a CRIMINAL offense, where is law enforcement on placing charges and taking away driving "privileges" from cell phoners? Why don't we stick with ACTUAL crimes instead of potential "precrime" arrests?
prowlerzee
Jul 28, 2009 3:06 AM CDT
sadtimes is absolutely correct, and the "progressive" Obots have only proven that they are susceptible to mass marketing. As in "buzzed driving is drunk driving." What boneheaded ideas the "zero tolerance" and the ignition locks are. Why not shut down all restaurants, then, if no one is allowed to go out and have wine with dinner? And how are those car alarms working out for you? How many thefts have they prevented? Compared to how constantly they disturb the peace. Only in this case, when the stupid ignition locks inevitably give false positives or simply break down, as do allllll such devices as computers, touchscreen voting machines, car alarms, etc etc etc ----not only are you stuck with an inoperative car, in what may be an emergency, or simply a work situation, and you will be stuck proving your innocence in a criminal case, in direct opposition to the constitution of the united states, and the founders' wisdom of innocent until proven guilty.
wwwonderer
Jun 22, 2009 6:16 AM CDT
@BeatBlaster. I was born and raised in Chicago. I went to Whitney Young, which gave sex education as part of gym/health. I considered it very effective and better than the way my parents' generation -and their parents' generation- treated sex: simply not talk about it and don't do it until you're married. @Alexandria: Yeah I think either you have a false sense of socio-cultural American history, or you had a very different upbringing.

 
parenting • alcohol • binge drinking • alcohol abuse • drunk driving • teenage drivers • teenager • drinking age

 
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