The Amethyst Initiative Debate: Rethinking the Drinking Age

“Our nation’s legal drinking age of 21 is not working as well as the public may think. Its unintended consequences are posing increasing risks to young people. It is time for a serious debate among our elected representatives about whether current public policies are in line with current realities.”

The above proposal s known as the Amethyst Initiative and is signed by 130 college presidents and it ignited a firestorm of controversy.

Alcohol abuse, problem drinking among young people, and drunk driving are part of a national crisis that cuts across demographic lines

However, colleges and universities are often a flashpoint for these issues, and alcohol presents a nearly universal challenge for the higher education community.

It’s time to come together as a community and sift through the evidence.

There is no other group so uniquely qualified to weigh in on this issue.

The goal is to move beyond unsupported claims, emotional accusations, and misleading science. Learn more from this informed discussion and vital debate on the Amethyst Initiative from one of the men who started the conversation.

The Amethyst Initiative began when John McCardell, President Emeritus of Middlebury College and Founder of Choose Responsibility, spoke at a meeting of the Annapolis Group, a group of about 120 liberal arts colleges, in June 2008.

Brett Sokolow is an expert in campus safety, security and high-risk student health and safety issues. He is the President of the National Center for Higher Education Risk Management (NCHERM), a national multidisciplinary risk management consulting firm.

As co-presenters, John McCardell and Brett Sokolow:

• Challenged the perceived success of the 21-year-old drinking age.
• Discussed the unintended consequences when colleges and universities strictly enforce this national policy.
• Reviewed the research on alcohol-related policies designed to cope with underage and problem drinking:
  • Those that work
  • Those that are failing.
• Explained the reasons behind their shared belief that treating students as adults is part of the solution.

This online seminar is part of a 3-part series on Preventing Alcohol Abuse on the College Campus.

1. Strategies to Decrease Binge Drinking: Templates, Advice and Lists
2. Alcohol Education Programs: Purchase, Customize or Create?
3. The Amethyst Initiative Debate: Rethinking the Drinking Age

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