"EVERY LIFE IS PRECIOUS" SAVING 54 LIVES A YEAR IS OUR GOAL יוון תל -38 SUPPORT THE DRIVE RAME MICHIGAN'S VOTE YES ON PROPOSAL D NOVEMBER 7TH PRO... IN FAVOR OF RAISING THE DRINKING AGE 1. Alcohol-related auto accidents among 18-20 year olds have increased significantly since the legal drinking age was lowered. 2. Youthful driving records were twice as good as older drivers before the drinking age was lowered. 3. Returning to 21 has the potential of saving 54 lives a year. We can't predict for sure, but it's worth a try. 4. Solving youthful drinking problems will take more than merely an age change, but a return to 21 is an important part of what needs to be done. 5. Schools can crack down and expel students because of their drinking behavior, but they want to keep them in school to complete their education. Raising the age will help administrators deal with this problem. 6. Drinking is a privilege, not a right. Most states have given adult rights to 18 year olds, while restricting drinking privileges. 7. Drinking and fighting involve different skills. Military service calls for obedience to orders, while drinking involves more judgment and discretion. 8. Returning to 21 will not stop drinking by teens, but it will slow it down by reducing peer pressure and cutting the supply line between 18 year olds and younger kids. 9. Drinking in bars has not been "safer" than other kinds of drinking. To the contrary, there has been more drunk driving since 18 year olds have shifted their drinking to public establishments. 10. There are lots of alternatives for youth, rather than drinking, and one of the reasons these alternatives have not been explored has been the drinking-at-18 law. 11. Better law enforcement is needed, and a boost to 21 will help convince public officials that the people want the law enforced. 12. Yes, bars will lose money, but they have made a bundle in the last 6 years catering to youthful drinkers. 13. It was the PTA who began the drive to raise the drinking age, not the Council on Alcohol Problems. Two years ago they began circulating petitions to boost the age to 20. Then in 1977, the Council on Alcohol Problems joined the drive and both groups set 21 as their goal. Yes, the Council on Alcohol Problems was once called the Anti-Saloon League, but its goals and objectives have long since changed. The Council no longer supports Prohibition, nor has it for the past 35 years. 1. Alcohol-related auto accidents have not increased that much for younger drivers since the drinking age was lowered. 2. Youthful driving records for alcohol-related crashes are no worse now than they are for older drivers 3. Returning the drinking age to 21 is no assurance that drunk driving accidents will abate. 4. Alcohol problems among young people are complex. and merely returning the drinking age to 21 will not solve these problems. It will take a lot more than a change in the law to do the job that needs done. 5. School administrators now have the tools to deal with problems of alcohol abuse among young people The answer is not raising the drinking age. The answer is better enforce ment. 6. You cannot make young people half-adults. Drinking is a right and cannot be withheld from those who have other legal adult rights. 7. If 18 year olds are old enough to be drafted into the military, they are old enough to drink. If they are old enough to fight, they are old enough to drink. 8. Kids have always used alcohol, regardless of what the drinking age has been. Raising the legal drinking age to 21 will not stop alcohol use by teenagers. 9. It is safer for young people to drink in licensed establishments, under the supervision of persons licensed by the state to sell alcoholic beverages. If the drinking age is raised to 21, kids will still drink, but under more dangerous cir cumstances. 10. If the drinking age is raised to 21, there be little or nothing for 18-20 year olds to do. 11. The present law isn't being enforced. Why raise the age when officials aren't even serious about making the 18 year old law work. 12. Licensees who have invested in new and expanded facilities to serve 18-20 year olds will lose a bundle. 13. The move to raise the drinking age to 21 is nothing more than a front for the Anti-Saloon League, now called the Council on Alcohol Problems, who wants to bring back Prohibition. COURTESY OF O ALCOHOL RESEARCH INFORMATION 1120 EOAKLAND AVE LANSING, MICHIGAN 48906 BOHOM LINE HAGAZINE Simplistic Approach or Blueprint for Prever Over the past several years, there has been a growing concern over problems of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. The response to these problems has taken several forms. Federal, state, local and private programs have poured millions of dollars into education as well as treatment programs. Since millions of Americans are unaware of some of the risks involved with alcohol use, various efforts have been aimed at alerting citizens so that they can make informed decisions. One suggestion for alerting people about the 6 dangers of alcohol use has been for the government to require a health label, a warning label on alcoholic beverage containers, so that consumers will be more aware of some of the risks involved with alcohol consumption. Lawmakers in several states have moved to mandate some kind of warning label on alcoholic beverages sold within their jurisdictions. WISCONSIN LABEL BILL In Wisconsin, lawmakers are pondering the implications of a bill which would require a "consumer A REPORT ON THE DRINKING AGE ISSUE: THE NEED FOR A RETURN TO THE 21-YEAR-OLD LIMIT - A Position Paper - By New Jersey State Senator Lee B. Laskin May 10, 1982 A SURVEY OF THE 50 STATES: THE LEGAL DRINKING AGES A National Overview: DRINKING AGES IN AMERICA NEW JERSEY COALITION FOR "21" MEMBERSHIP SENATE BILL NO. 925 LEE B. LASKIN SENATOR 6TH DISTRICT 36 TANNER STREET HADDONFIELD, NEW JERSEY 08033 609-795-1500 NEW JERSEY SENATE -42 It was four years ago May 10, 1982 FOREWARD that I issued my first position paper on the drinking age issue. I argued then, as I do now, that the minimum drinking age should be returned to 21. The reason for my position papers, whether they be on raising the drinking age or the need for mandatory jail terms for serious offenders, has been to let the public know where I stand on important issues and why. This time, I have labored to offer a very detailed argument on behalf of my objective. The first section is an overview and personal statement; it also allows me to vent my frustrations over so many people having to work so hard in the pursuit of common sense. What follows are separate sections which examine how the lower drinking age has affected traffic safety, education, and public safety. The report then concludes with a copy of my new legislation to raise the drinking limit, Senate Bill 925. An appendix consists of a survey of the legal drinking laws throughout the 50 states, as well as a roster of the membership of the "Coalition for 21." I respectfully submit this report to my fellow lawmakers in the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly, as well as Governor Thomas H. Kean, in the hope that they will better understand the effort to restore the 21-year-old drinking age. I share this report with the many concerned citizens who make up the "Coalition for 21" - they are willing to fight to protect the promise of future generations. Sincerely Lee R Laskin |