A committee in the Vermont Senate passed legislation creating a task force to consider lowering the state's legal drinking age. The legislation will now be debated by the full state Senate in the coming weeks, according to Vermont state Sen. Hinda Miller, D-Chittenden, who introduced the bill. The legislation calls for a five-member task force to assess underage and binge drinking in Vermont and to argue the merits of lowering the drinking age.
"I have teenagers myself, and I've always wondered about these laws, if they're really creating the results we want," Miller said.
Many alcohol education groups, such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, are opposed to even the consideration of lowering the drinking age, according to the Associated Press. Such groups cite the reduction in alcohol-related fatalities since the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was enacted in 1984. Miller said this statistic might not be directly related to the 1984 legislation.
"People always cite 40 percent reduction of alcohol-related driving accidents, but the distribution is among all ages, not just young drivers," she said. "We've done a lot since 1985: We've got designated drivers, comprehensive laws against DUI, liability against drinking establishments and penalties for selling to underage drinkers."
The National Minimum Drinking Age Act required states to set the drinking age at 21 or lose federal highway funds, which, for Vermont, total approximately $17 million.
"We're not in a position to lose 17 million dollars," Miller said. "There is a national movement to unhook the drinking age, which is a state responsibility. If we do our research and there is enough evidence that this might produce good results, we might unhook those dollars."
Miller and others are working with former Middlebury College President John McCardell, who currently heads Choose Responsibility, a nonprofit organization that highlights the dangers of binge drinking and advocates lowering the drinking age to 18. McCardell is part of the movement to encourage the United States Congress to grant a waiver, allowing states to determine whether things are better or worse with a lower drinking age, according to the Associated Press.
William Goggins, director of education and enforcement for the state Liquor Control Board, opposes the reduction of the drinking age and Miller's bill to create a committee to review changing Vermont's drinking age.
"I think it's irresponsible and a waste of valuable time," he said.
A decrease in the drinking age could have a significant impact on Dartmouth students, allowing many who are currently underage to travel across the border to purchase and consume alcohol. Further, a number of Dartmouth students reside in Vermont and commute to the college, particularly during the summer.
Hanover Police Chief Nicholas Giaconne said a reduction in the drinking age would have a negative impact on both Dartmouth and the Hanover area.
"Having done my police work through the era when the drinking age was 18, we found out that it took an increase in car accidents in that age group," he said. "Also, there is a more direct pipeline to alcohol for kids underage. There is always a group of 18-year-olds still in high school. They have immense peer pressure to acquire alcohol."
