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Age of Majority in terms of legal consumption of alcohol and legal gambling.

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Chat' started by Hoowaa, Aug 28, 2012.

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  1. Hoowaa

    Hoowaa Tourist

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    in Canada, depending on the province, age of majority is either 18 or 19 depending on which province you want to participate in either activity:

    Alberta - 18
    British Columbia - 19
    Manitoba - 18
    New Brunswick - 19
    Newfoundland and Labrador - 19
    Northwest Territories - 19
    Nova Scotia - 19
    Nunavut - 19
    Ontario - 19
    Prince Edward Island - 19
    Quebec - 18
    Saksatchewan - 19
    Yukon Territory - 19


    The U.S age limit of 21 seems too restrictive to this foreigner. I see no complaints about it - can you tell me why ?

    Do U.S citizens accept or support the current age, or do you think it should be lowered ?
     
  2. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    This is a long and winded discussion.


    Years ago, some states had drinking at 18. Very few states had gambling at all. Over the years, every single state went to 21 for drinking and gambling.

    Does everyone agree? Nope.
    Does everyone disagree? Nope

    Does not matter what people think. It is what it is.
     
  3. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    I was able to drink at 18, my senior year of high school. Yeah, we did take advantage of it. The good thing, in my not so humble opinion, is that we got it out of our system. Eventually, most states lowered their drinking age in the 1970s.

    It was mostly political pressure, specifically from one well-organized pressure group, which led to the (return to) 21 for drinking. In my not so humble opinion, the 21 age is ridiculous. Kids will be kids and if they want to drink, they will find a way to do it.

    As for gambling, I don't know. When I was 18, gambling was the furthest thing from my mind! Back in those days pinball machines were technically illegal. They were around, but not sanctioned. I know that at age 18, even with my first real job, there would have been no way I could have afforded to visit casinos. Kids of that age do appear to have more $$$ these days, and I'm sure many would abuse it if they could play the machines and the tables, but hey, kids will be kids. They will live and learn!

    Oh well ...
     
  4. thecarve

    thecarve Misanthrope

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    Seems to me that there are far more serious violations of our freedoms on the books. Do I think it is overly restrictive? I suppose so. But it’s probably on page 4398 of the list of laws/regulations that anger me most.
     
  5. volfaninbama

    volfaninbama High-Roller

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    Because we live in a Nanny State. It is a disgraceful morality law. If you can vote and serve in the military at 18 it is totally crazy youcan not drink and gamble. Should be challenged in court and overturned but no one will do it.
     
  6. Bubbavegas

    Bubbavegas VIP Whale

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    In 1983 is when the nation went to a 21 drinking age, I know well as I turned 18 and wnet in the USMC that year and actually enjoyed 48 days of legal buying of beer only as our state STILL has seperate stores for alcohol over 3.2. The casinos here have a limit of 18 UNLESS they have cocktail service then it is 21 to enter.
     
  7. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    That's probably the best argument for it. If you're mature enough to be trusted with a weapon or boat/plane, you should be mature enough to make your own decisions about your vices.

    Probably the biggest obstacle is the one well-funded and well-organized pressure group, of which even the founder disavows their recent actions. :(

    We also have gestapo-like "sobriety checkpoints", and Yours Truly has been stopped at one in Las Vegas. :( That's also a local (La Vista, NE) sore subject as well!

    Ya know, as I think back, I vaguely remember that you could once bet on the horses at 18. At the time, I had absolutely no desire to do so. :)
     
  8. DonD

    DonD VIP Whale

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    You still can in Calif.
     
  9. HoyaHeel

    HoyaHeel Grammar Police & Admin

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    It was 1984 that the law was enacted. Wikipedia has a nice history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Minimum_Drinking_Age_Act

    That doesn't mean all states immediately raised the age, either. I know that VT didn't raise its age to 21 until 1986, because several of my (older) schoolmates used to leave CT and head to VT for the weekends:evillaugh

    This wiki page has a nice chart of when & what the state ages have been: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._history_of_alcohol_minimum_purchase_age_by_state
     
  10. ardee

    ardee It's only money.

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    Yes, and some California Indian casinos allow gambling for 18 year olds.

    Morongo comes to mind.
     
  11. leo21

    leo21 VIP Whale

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    There is an argument to be made for lowering the drinking age. But IMO if 18-20 y.o.s are really mature enough to drink, they should also be able to make their case and start voting about it. I am not going out of my way to get it lowered as I have bigger fish to fry. As for the gambling age, I don't see a reason to lower the gambling age. The18-20 y.o.s have access to the lottery and bingo. Actually, I kinda wish it could be raised because it may get rid of some of the club kids!
     
  12. dfalk

    dfalk VIP Whale

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    In MT all gambling is 18+
     
  13. Auggie

    Auggie Dovahkiin

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    I think this is just one of those issues that nobody is really going to get behind.

    When it comes to drinking the people who have the power to reduce the age limit are already able to drink and there is no political advantage for them to do it.

    The 18 and 19 year olds who want to drink alcohol aren't going to go out and form a lobby group and put all their time and money in to maybe reducing the legal drinking 3, 4 or 5 years from now - because by then they would be legal to drink anyways... instead if they really wanted to drink or go to bars they would just put in the effort to find a good source of alcohol or getting great fake IDs made up.

    The beer companies might be interested but then how much more money is that really going to mean for them? Again, this is where 18-20 year olds who really want to drink are still going to be able to get alcohol so by lowering the legal drinking age all they are really doing is getting customers out of the slackers who don't want to go to the effort of getting a good fake ID or hang around the liquor store parking lot and asking people to buy them a case of beer.

    Plus beer companies probably have bigger and more important issues they are concerned with.


    For gambling its mostly the same thing: the people who can change the law don't really care because they can go gamble themselves already. The casino lobby groups probably don't care that much because while 18-20 year olds do have some money they don't have a vast amount of disposable income that they would spend on gambling to make it worth the casinos to go after...

    And if they can gamble but not drink then it could actually cost the casinos money in the end because they'd end up with a casino floor where some people can't gamble or drink, some can gamble but not drink and others can both gamble and drink... so they would have to put in all these extra measures to make sure the cocktail waitress is delivering drinks to people who can gamble but not drink, or that the drinks don't end up in the hands of people who can't drink...

    And again, the 18-20 year olds aren't really going to be getting out there and working on this and lobbying the government for a change that will likely not happen until a few years after they are able to actually go in to a casino legally.
     
  14. mikenhe

    mikenhe VIP Whale

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    each state sets the drinking age and if you exam it closley you will see that each state has their own exceptions to the 21 age limit (which they don't normally make easy to find).
    For instance in Mass you can buy alcohol for your children to drink in your presence at your house.

    However there is a direct link between federal funding and the 21 age limit - states that don't raise the drinking age (excluding the exceptions) to 21 are denied federal funds for a lot of things.

    Nothing like a bit of blackmail to get states to bend over.


    If you want to drink you'll find a way around it - same as any other illegal activity. I do think that, while I disagree with the age limit, it is handled very well with age checks etc - far better than a lot of other countries!

    I could campaign for change but I don't need a bunch of drunk 18 yo's yelling and shouting on their way back from the bar.... so it's a "I'm ok jack" problem..
     
  15. LolaDoggie

    LolaDoggie VIP Whale

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    Let's not forget other "permanent" life decisions. You can get married at 18 without permission in most places, and as young as 14 in some places with permission. You can also have a baby as young as your body allows you to.
     
  16. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    Actually, you have a point there! The 18-20 crowd will probably be far more interested in the clubs than the tables or machines.

    My how Las Vegas has changed! Back when I first visited Las Vegas ('70s) I sort of felt half a generation displaced. There really was nothing geared for the younger adults back then.
     
  17. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

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    How about this, in some states you may own a bar at age 18, but can't legally have a drink.

    I was able to legally drink at age 18 and at 17, we all knew where to go to buy alcohol. That said, all throughout college in the early 1980's, I never heard of a single case of alcohol poisoning due to binge drinking. Today, it would be a rare occurrence at college area hospital emergency rooms on weekends to not have several cases of alcohol poisoning. I believe the drinking problems on college campuses today are exacerbated due to the current law that you can't legally drink until age 21.

    After all, forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest.

    I remember visiting a friend on a Navy base in Florida around 1979, the vending machines were filled with beer, not soda.
     
  18. HoyaHeel

    HoyaHeel Grammar Police & Admin

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    That's the reasoning behind the Amethyst Initiative, started by university presidents & chancellors looking at ways to improve safety & reduce binge drinking.....It's a public health issue (to me, because that's my background) with good arguments on both sides:peace:
     
  19. Nevyn

    Nevyn VIP Whale

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    Basically comes down to the people who want the law care more about it than the ones who want it gone. So any politician looking to get rid of it makes a bunch of voters mad, without really gaining the votes of anyone he made happy.
     
  20. Bubbavegas

    Bubbavegas VIP Whale

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    OK then we must have went to 21 here a year early since when I returned from basics I could not buy at 18, figures the SOBs here cut the year. :evillaugh
     
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