Should N.J. Lower The Drinking Age To 18?

A North Jersey legislator has introduced a bill to revise the state’s legal drinking age to 18.

Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll, the bill’s sponsor, said revising the drinking age is "common sense.”

“If you’re old enough to make the determination you want to enlist in the Marines, you’re old enough to determine if you want to have a beer,” Carroll said.

New Jersey’s drinking age was lowered to 18 in 1973, but was brought back up to 21 after states were encouraged to revise their drinking age or lose federal funding.

Carroll, a Republican from Morris Plains, said that changing the age would allow law enforcement personnel to better allocate their time and resources.

“We have better to do with our limited resources than continue to prosecute 18-year-olds for underage drinking, we really do,” said Carroll.

But not everyone agrees with Carroll's proposal.

The New Jersey chapter of Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) said making such a change would have far-reaching effects, especially on high school-age young adults.

“It could mean different rules for high school populations: Those who are 18 versus those who are under 18,” said New Jersey SADD’s Pamela Clark.

The heroin and opioid epidemic that has swept through New Jersey has proven that the age at which people are experimenting with drugs and alcohol for the first time is decreasing.

“Lowering the drinking age would necessarily push this experimentation phase downwards,” Clark said. “Drinking alcohol in New Jersey is not a right. The legislation, as written, with age 21, is designed to support the science of addiction and reduce economic, social, and other costs associated with the use of alcohol, which is ultimately the public’s concern, as we are the ones who will pay the price.”

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) also disagrees with the proposed change.

“The 21 drinking age is one of the most studied public health laws in our nation and has saved thousands of lives since its passage,” said Becky Iannotta, communications manager for MADD’s national office.

Carroll introduced the bill to the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee Feb 22, where he expects it to stay.

“You never know, common sense might prevail,” Carroll said.

What do you think, should the drinking age in New Jersey be lowered? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

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