Alcohol consumption by youth in the United States

Exceptions to Minimum Age of 21 for Consumption of Alcohol as of 2007

Although the minimum legal age to purchase alcohol is 21 in all U.S. states and most territories[1] (see National Minimum Drinking Age Act), the legal details for consumption vary greatly. Although some states completely ban alcohol usage for people under 18, the majority have exceptions that permit consumption.[2]

Underage drinking has become an activity primarily done in secrecy. In what is known as pregaming or pre-partying, underage drinkers may hide their alcohol consumption by drinking quickly before they go out. Brittany Levine explained in her article "Pre-Gaming" in USA Today that "of all drinking events involving pre-partying, 80% involved additional drinking afterward."[3] Those who oppose a complete ban on underage drinking argue that it is important that minors be introduced to alcohol in a controlled environment, so that supervision and guidance might occur instead of experimentation. Some parents are willing to provide alcohol for their children if they drink it in a controlled environment. Furnishing alcohol to one's own children is permitted in 31 states, while it's illegal to do so for other people's children in all fifty states.[4] Social host ordinances have been enacted in a number of jurisdictions to attempt to limit the parties where adults may permit minors to drink.[5] Social host laws or ordinances have proliferated in the last ten years because it has been too difficult for law enforcement to prove which adults furnished or served alcohol to minors in their own home, so it permits them to cite or arrest the adult who has control of the premises.[6] Due to the difficulty in proving these cases, some states make this an affirmative defense that the defendant must prove consumption was legally permissible.[7][8]

  1. ^ Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are the only U.S. jurisdictions to have not increased their legal drinking age to 21
  2. ^ Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS) State Profiles of Underage Drinking Laws
  3. ^ "Levine. Pre-partying' can kick off a big night of boozing - USATODAY.com". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  4. ^ "Alcohol Policy Information Service". Archived from the original on 2011-04-24. Retrieved 2011-04-19.
  5. ^ "Account Suspended". www.socialhost.org.
  6. ^ "Underage Drinking & the Law". Underage Drinking & the Law. Archived from the original on 2022-02-18. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
  7. ^ "§ 4.1-305. Purchasing or possessing alcoholic beverages unlawful in certain cases; venue; exceptions; penalty; forfeiture; deferred proceedings; treatment and education programs and services". law.lis.virginia.gov.
  8. ^ "What Is the Penalty for Underage Drinking in Virginia?". leavittmartinlaw.com. September 15, 2017.