The minimum drinking age also means that establishments can discriminate against you based on your age and deny you access to an establishment, even if you don`t drink. There are also laws that prevent you from having certain jobs that involve serving or selling alcohol, or that punish people who let young people drink on their property. In addition, in each state, the acceptable blood alcohol limit for seniors is 0.08, but young people are subject to much stricter blood alcohol laws that allow for a very small margin of error. Despite this flexibility for states, Congress retains the power to use financial and tax incentives to promote certain alcohol policies, such as the legal drinking age. The Uniform Federal Drinking Age Act of 1984 sets the legal drinking age at 21, and every state adheres to this standard. 5. For government work purposes: Alcohol consumption by minors is not prohibited in some states if it is related to government or law enforcement missions. These tasks may include government research on underage drinking, undercover work, etc. Each state sets its own specific requirements for what is considered legal. In all U.S. states, you must be at least 21 years old to purchase alcohol.
It is also a criminal offense in all 50 states to make false statements (including making ID cards) to purchase alcohol. However, states may vary if possession and consumption are illegal in all circumstances. In some states, you may also be accused of “internal obsession,” which refers to alcohol in your body. You may be charged for this following a blood, urine, or breath test, or in some states just for “signs of poisoning,” even if you`re found alcohol-free and haven`t been seen consuming it. In general, a “family member” is a parent, guardian or spouse. But laws vary widely from state to state as to when a family member can provide or permit consumption from a person under the age of 21. U.S. alcohol laws regarding the minimum age of purchase have changed over time. In colonial America, there was usually no drinking age, and alcohol consumption among young teenagers was common, even in taverns. [1] In post-revolutionary America, this laxity gradually changed due to religious sentiments (embodied in the temperance movement) and a growing recognition of the dangers of alcohol in the medical community. [1] Recent history is given in the table below.
Unless otherwise stated, the age indicated below will be set at the lowest specified age if different categories of alcohol have different minimum ages of purchase (for example, If the age of purchase is 18 years for beer and 21 years for wine or spirits, as has been the case in several states, the age in the table is “18”, not “21”). In addition, the age of purchase is not necessarily the same as the minimum age to consume alcoholic beverages, although they are often the same. There are also laws to protect underage drinkers from prosecution if they report or seek medical help for another minor. Currently, seventeen states provide exceptions related to underage drinking when seeking medical assistance for another minor. As can be seen in the table below, since the repeal of prohibition in 1933, there has been great volatility in the age of alcohol consumption in the states. Shortly after the 21st Amendment was ratified in December, most states set their purchasing age at 21, which was the voting age at the time. Most of these limits remained constant until the early 1970s. From 1969 to 1976, about 30 states lowered their purchasing age, usually to 18. This was largely due to the fact that the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 with the passage of the 26th Amendment in 1971.
Many states began lowering their minimum drinking age, most in 1972 or 1973. [2] [3] [4] Twelve states have maintained their purchasing age at 21 since the repeal of prohibition and have never changed it. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 [23 U.S.C. § 158] requires states to prohibit persons under the age of 21 from publicly purchasing or possessing alcoholic beverages as a condition of receiving state highway funds. A federal ordinance interpreting the law excludes possession “for established religious purposes” from the definition of “public property”; accompanied by a parent, spouse or legal guardian who is at least 21 years of age; for medical purposes, if prescribed or administered by a physician, pharmacist, dentist, nurse, hospital or authorized medical facility; in clubs or private institutions; or for the sale, handling, transportation or supply of liquor by reason of the lawful employment of a person under twenty-one years of age by a duly licensed manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer of liquor,” [23 C.F.R.