[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 20, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1359-E1360]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      BINGE DRINKING AND LEGAL AGE

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 20, 2007

  Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, in 1984, President Reagan signed the 21 
minimum drinking age into law, saying ``This problem is bigger than the 
individual States. It's a grave national problem, and it touches all 
our lives. With the problem so clear-cut and the proven solution at 
hand, we have no misgiving about this judicious use of Federal power. 
I'm convinced that it will help persuade State legislators to act in 
the national interest to save our children's

[[Page E1360]]

lives, by raising the drinking age to 21 across the country.''
  Now, there are some that are advocating--lowering the drinking age 
back to 18. These people are unfortunately choosing what is easy over 
what is right and what is effective.
  It would be easy to allow 18 to 20 year olds to drink, but we would 
pay for it with lives. The Centers for Disease Control, CDC, looked at 
49 high-quality, peer-reviewed studies of places that changed their 
drinking age and found conclusively that moving the drinking age up to 
21 decreases alcohol-involved crash fatalities by 16 percent and 
lowering it increases fatalities by 10 percent.
  New Zealand is a good example of this. In 1999, New Zealand lowered 
its drinking age from 20 to 18. Not only did the alcohol-involved crash 
rate increase among 18 and 19 year olds, but also among 15 to 17 year 
olds. It is absurd to think that this would not happen in the United 
States were we to take the easy path.
  It would be easy to think that teaching young people to drink would 
increase responsible drinking habits, but what is easy isn't what is 
true. Most European countries with lower drinking ages have not only 
higher drinking rates, but higher binge drinking and intoxication 
rates. Several of these countries, like the United Kingdom, New 
Zealand, and Canada, are considering increasing their drinking ages 
because the 21 minimum drinking age is so effective.

  It would be easy to assume that 18 to 20 year olds could drink 
safely, but in truth, all underage drinking is unsafe drinking. Brain 
research shows us that the brain continues to develop into the early 
twenties. The part that controls reasoning and cognitive ability is the 
last to mature and thus the most vulnerable to damage. The part of the 
brain responsible for new memories is noticeably smaller in youth that 
abuse alcohol. Alcohol use in the teen years also is associated with 
decreased brain functioning, memory, movement, and attention, and these 
changes may be permanent.
  These and many more reasons are why a host of experts, including the 
CDC, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, General Accounting 
Office, Institute of Medicine, Surgeon General, National Institute of 
Health, and more, support the 21 minimum drinking age.
  It is necessary for us as legislators, parents, and responsible 
citizens to take the hard path and prevent our young people from 
accessing alcohol--adults facilitate, by selling, giving, providing, or 
allowing youth access to alcohol, almost all underage drinking. It is 
necessary to set limits, not open the liquor cabinets. And it is 
necessary for us as leaders to ignore those who think you can try the 
same experiment twice and get less fatal results.
  And that's just the way it is.

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