Drinking age raised to 21?

[youngminii]

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THE drinking age should be raised to 21 and the price of a standard drink at least doubled if state governments are serious about tackling the problem of alcohol-related violence, a leading criminologist says.
Professor Ross Homel, of Griffith University, yesterday criticised the NSW Government's attempt to reduce pub assaults in Sydney with measures such as a 2am lockout and a proposed pub safety rating system, describing them as ''gimmicks unsupported by scientific evidence''.
He said overseas research had shown overwhelmingly that raising the drinking age, increasing the cost of alcohol and reducing hotel opening hours were the best ways to cut violence.
''If you increase the cost of a schooner in Kings Cross from $5 to $10 there will be a difference in terms of people drinking and a direct impact on all forms of alcohol-related harm,'' said Professor Homel, who is devising a strategy to tackle pub violence.
''It's a similar story [for age]. A number of countries have bitten the bullet and raised the drinking age, particularly for high-alcohol beverages, and seen a reduction alcohol-related harm for that age group and in the tendency of younger people to become heavy drinkers.''
The drinking age in Australia was lowered to 18 from 21 during the Vietnam War on the grounds that if 18-year-olds could be conscripted, they should have the right to vote and drink as well.
Professor Homel said he supported some attempts to cut pub violence in Sydney, such as a freeze on new liquor licences. However, other measures were ''peripheral and marginal''.
''Research into lockouts found there were no long-term effects on assaults or violence at all - as a preventative strategy it is purely symbolic,'' he said.
Rather than focusing simply on assault numbers, Professor Homel examined the physical environment inside pubs and the areas around them in devising a way to reduce violence.
He found that violence and aggression increased with overcrowding, a lack of seating and poor pub layouts that restricted movement of patrons to amenities and exits.
There was also a need for basic training for bar and security staff to focus on managing problem behaviour and aggression, and random visits by police to keep hotel owners and licensees on their toes.
A spokesman for the NSW Gaming and Racing Minister, Kevin Greene, said the Government's liquor laws allowed quick and effective action to be taken against irresponsible licensees and unruly patrons, while allowing venues to be released from restrictions if behaviour improved.

Sauce: Australian drinking age lifted to 21

Dear God NO

[SylvesterBr]

Say no to this goddamn nanny state ffs.

[Daipire]

FUCK THAT NOISE!!!

I wanna get drunk NOW!

[jennyfromdabloc]

Fortunately it will never pass. There would be too much public outrage.

[*TRUE*]

I don't drink to get drunk ever, and rarely at all, but that choice is my prerogative, and I don't feel good about forcing my sensibilities on other people.
It won't make much (if any) of a difference in the number of young people drinking but it will have the effect of creating many more 'lawbreakers'.

[Sprangler]

I wouldn't care cause I like house parties more than going out and there's always someone to buy alcohol. Anyway nothing is actually being proposed.

Originally Posted by *TRUE*

It won't make much (if any) of a difference in the number of young people drinking but it will have the effect of creating many more 'lawbreakers'.

The idea is not to reduce the overall number of young people drinking but to reduce the overall number of young people drinking out, which is where most alcohol related violence actually happens.

[SSRabbitohs2009]

hellz no!

[SSRabbitohs2009]

hellz no!

[scaredytiger]

Stupid Griffith. What do they know anyway?

[Uncle]

once upon a time the government decided alcohol was a real problem and decided to ban it.
but the complacent general public would submit to their cravings and then manufacture their own homemade alcohol.
some lucky people made strong enough brew it knocks them out for at about 36 hours, the less fortunate made methanol instead and they couldnt see the light of day anymore which they dont deserve to because instead of saying no to alcohol they actually said no to eyesight.

and now they decide to raise the drinking age to 21 do they?

alcoholic drinks will always prevail against the weak minds of people.



simple solution: just dont drink that fermented toxic compound. save yourself like i did and just say no to alcohol.

[MaNiElla]

i dont give a shit really

[jezzmo]

I'm a bank and I'm handing out credit cards to the young! Enjoy yourself, kids! Drink the nanny-state away!

[posey-rose]

... supposable our liver fully develops at the age of approx 22, and drinking earlier can damage our liver. with this said i know that the liver can develop itself.

i dont care really if they do raise the age or not... it's not going to stop all the "hard core" drinkers from waiting till their 21, most start at 14 anyhow.

[Azza16]

lol what a dumb idea raising the age. at 21, most people booze just as hard as what they did when they were 18, and in saying that, raising the age isnt going to reduce violence. waste of time imo

[Fish Tank]

Originally Posted by SylvesterBr

Say no to this goddamn nanny state ffs.

Summed it up quite well.