Lt. Governor Opposes Lowering of Drinking Age
Lt. Governor Aiona and MADD-Hawai`i countered claims by more than 100 college presidents and chancellors that federal lawmakers should consider lowering the legal drinking age from 21 to 18.
New research shows that 96 percent alcohol-dependent adults started drinking before the age of 21.
The attempt by some college administrators to lower the drinking age is part of the Amethyst Initiative, an effort launched by the advocacy group Choose Responsibility to rethink the effects of the current drinking age of 21.
“This new effort does nothing to solve the serious problems posed by underage drinking, and its backers are showing irresponsibility on par with those who binge drink and put themselves and others in harm’s way,” Lt. Governor Aiona said. “We now know more about the potentially lifelong consequences of underage drinking than ever before. This waving of the white flag by some college administrators is especially disappointing when you consider the progress our state has made to prevent and reduce underage drinking in Hawai‘i.”
According to the 2007 Hawai‘i Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 59 percent of youth have consumed alcohol, down from 65 percent in 2005 and 75 percent in 1993.
“While we have seen our efforts to change the culture of underage drinking slowly pay off, these college administrators have taken it upon themselves to undue the tireless work of our state and county governments, local communities, businesses, non-profits, and families to keep our young people safe,” the Lt. Governor added.
Lt. Governor Aiona discusses the consequences of lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18.
“MADD is troubled by this recent initiative by college presidents to enter into discussions to lower the drinking age to 18,” Marx said. “There are other strategies that could be adopted instead of lowering the drinking age, as research clearly shows that binge drinking is not new. In fact, binge drinking has gone down from 41 percent to 26 percent since the drinking age was changed to 21 in 1984. Since then, there has been an 11 percent drop in alcohol-related fatalities among youth, saving nearly 25,000 American lives.”
Hawai‘i leads the nation (52 percent) in the percentage of alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes.
Alcohol may impair memory, learning, decision making and impulse control, and it greatly increases the risk of addiction. Ninety-six percent of alcohol-dependent adults started drinking before the age of 21, and a growing body of research suggests that alcohol may change the way the brain works and the way it is wired, potentially having consequences beyond adolescence, Lt. Governor Aiona said.
In 2007, Hawai‘i became the first state in the nation to answer the U.S. Surgeon General’s call to action to prevent and reduce underage drinking. Lt. Governor Aiona and then Acting U.S. Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu hosted a town hall meeting at Washington Place in Honolulu to launch the call to action initiative.
Lt. Governor Aiona is co-chair of Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, a national leadership organization that seeks to prevent and reduce underage drinking.
In addition to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, organizations opposed to the Amethyst Initiative include the American Medical Association, Institute for Highway Safety, National Transportation Safety Board, Governors Highway Safety Association, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, Center for Science in the Public Interest, International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Liquor Law Enforcement Association, National Safety Council, Nationwide Insurance, and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.
- Watch the news conference.
