College dry: drinking age debate.

• Author: Sullum, Jacob
• Position: Citings

IN AUGUST more than 100 university presidents and chancellors called for "an informed and dispassionate public debate" about lowering the drinking age. Under the banner of the Amethyst Initiative, named for the semiprecious stone said to ward off drunkenness, the administrators argued that the current minimum age of 21 undermines respect for the law, prevents faculty members from teaching and modeling responsible drinking, discourages students from seeking help when they get into alcohol-related trouble, and encourages consumption in private, unsupervised settings where excess is more likely. "How many times must we relearn the lessons of Prohibition?" they asked.

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Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) replied by condemning the administrators for bringing up the subject. "Parents should think twice before sending their teens to these colleges or any others that have waved the white flag on underage and binge drinking policies," declared MADD President Laura Dean-Mooney. The same press release quoted former Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, who said "signing this initiative...