Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Get serious about underage drinking
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Bill Shiner
Shiner, of Max Meadows is a retired professor.
The Roanoke Times got it wrong again. Its editorial supporting the "Amethyst Initiative" of a number of badly misinformed college and university presidents is ill advised, at best, ("A sober talk about the drinking age," Aug. 20).
Our previous experiment with the lower legal drinking age was a colossal failure, hence the necessary reaction to replace 21 as the legal age. This action has saved lives and supported the contention that, unfortunately, many 18- and 19-year-old youngsters cannot be trusted to make sound decisions regarding their well being. If they were responsible, they would not subject themselves to the potential legal consequences of underage consumption and particularly the debilitating and dangerous "sport" of binge drinking.
Unfortunately, many colleges and universities, as well as some legal and social institutions, tend to ignore or even actively support underage drinking, thereby exacerbating the situation. As a university professor for more than 30 years, I was witness to the less than candid enforcement of alcohol policies and state law when it came to underage consumption.
My work with Mothers Against Drunk Driving at both the local and state level provided me with ample evidence that many colleges and universities were not really serious about curbing drinking, whether underage or not. Most gave underage consumption lip service, but really failed to get serious about it and, in some cases, totally ignored it.
It is not only the fault of colleges and universities that underage consumption has been allowed to flourish in many communities since our justice system has also often failed to enforce the law. Police agencies in at lease one state have had to resort to such actions as charging an underage drinker with disorderly conduct rather than possession and consumption of an alcoholic beverage due to the fact that local judges refused to adjudicate underage charges.
In numerous jurisdictions, underage consumption charges were summarily dismissed. This cavalier attitude has served to embolden those who have a propensity to flout the law and weaken the restraints that might otherwise exist to discourage breaking the law.
Let's face it: Alcohol abuse is one of our nation's largest problems. Abusive drinking, quite common in college and university communities, will require a concerted effort to control.
Lowering the drinking age will do nothing to help the situation, but will definitely serve to exacerbate it. Lower the drinking age and it is a foregone conclusion that alcohol-related deaths and injuries among the 18- and 19-year-old age group will increase, not to mention the destroyed lives of the drinker, his/her relatives and victims.
What it will take is a concerted effort on the part of college and university administrators to strengthen and vigorously enforce their alcohol policies, get serious in support of efforts to enforce state law and make it known among their students that violations of school policy or state law will not be tolerated at their institutions.
Additionally, they should actively support relevant efforts of local, state and national organizations that are working to reduce underage consumption and other alcohol-related concerns.
If colleges and universities really want to do something positive about alcohol abuse, there is much they can do. Reducing the legal age is about the stupidest thing they could do. Let's hope reason and reality will win out and the "Amethyst Initiative" will die the early death it deserves.
And, while we are at it, let's get serious about curbing drinking among the under-18 set as well. And get serious about reducing DUI and abusive drinking among all age groups. We have nothing to lose in doing so, but so much to gain.
