You Can Die in a War, But Don't Go to a Bar...

I don't understand why the legal drinking age in this country is so high. In fact, 21 is the highest drinking age in any country where drinking is permitted at all. But this wasn't always so. In fact, after Prohibition, the states were allowed to set their own drinking ages until about 1985. This is when, in a response to an increase in drunk driving, which was linked to college aged drinkers, the Federal government basically told the states that if they did not raise the drinking age to 21, it would cut funding for highways. But, as most 20-year-olds who have been to a college party will tell you, drinking still goes on. In my personal opinion, this also could be the reason why the rates of sexual assault on college campuses are so high -- if you don't want to get busted for underage drinking, you might be less likely to report an assault. So, in closing, I just don't understand how you can go to war and buy cigarettes at 18, but you're not old enough to have a beer.