The drinking age as it stands does not work. It has not kept underage kids from drinking and has instead pushed underage drinking behind closed doors and into more risky and less manageable settings. Something has to change.
We propose treating prospective drinkers the way we treat prospective drivers. The plan we are proposing is this: 18 year olds would be allowed to sign up for a drinking education course and, upon passing it, be allowed to drink within the laws allotted by the state. Too many infractions and you lose your license. If they are found drinking recklessly without a license they will receive a very steep fee in the thousand-dollar range.
This policy is borrowed heavily from John M. McCardell Jr.’s New York Times op-ed, “Let Them Drink at 18, With a Learner’s Permit".