We blinked twice when we read MSNBC’s lead story about a proposal/debate to lower the legal drinking age to 18. The argument for goes something like this: If you can vote and join the armed services, you should be able to have a beer. The argument against: A higher drinking age saves lives. Turns out, contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a national drinking age—the “national” law says only that those under 21 are prohibited from purchasing alcohol, not consuming it.

As it happens, there is no such thing as a “federal legal drinking age.” Many states allow minors to drink alcohol — some of them without restriction, others under certain circumstances, such as the presence of a parent or other guardian.

The phrase refers instead to a patchwork of state laws adopted in the mid-1980s under pressure from Congress, which threatened in 1984 to withhold 10 percent of federal highway funds from states that did not prohibit selling alcohol to those under the age of 21. By 1988, all 50 states had complied. 

In fact, go to the nifty map that runs with the story and click on the individual states where you’ll find the state rules that apply. While the majority do prohibit possession and consumption, there are states with other laws in effect:

North Carolina/Tennessee/Virginia: Under 21 may not possess or consume alcohol.
South Carolina/Georgia/Kentucky: Under 21 may consume alcohol.
Illinois/Colorado/Alaska/Oregon/Louisiana: Under 21 may consume alcohol only if married and if spouse or guardian is present.
Nebraska/New Jersey: Under 21 may consume alcohol in parent’s or guardian’s resident only if parent or guardian is home.
Wisconsin/Texas/Ohio: Under 21 may consume alcohol only is parent or guardian is present.

What we don’t understand is why being married makes it okay for you to drink at a younger age. Is that some unknown perk of marrying young? For more weird state laws, go here.

Source: MSNBC Health