Minimum Legal Drinking Age Act
The National Minimum Drinking Age Act, also known as the Federal Uniform Drinking Age Act, was passed in 1984 and was used to compel all states to require legislation to enforce a minimum drinking age of 21 throughout the United States.
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Purpose
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The purpose of this act is to prohibit the purchase and public possession of alcohol by individuals under the age of 21. However, the act does not prohibit individuals under the age of 21 from drinking alcohol.
Penalty
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If a state did not enforce the minimum drinking age, then according to the Federal Aid Highway Act, those states would be subject to decreases in their annual federal highway allotment. Such decreases can be as high as 10 percent.
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Exceptions
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Certain exceptions to the drinking age are defined by the term “public possession.” Individuals under 21 years of age are allowed to possess alcohol if it is for a religious purpose and they are accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or spouse; for medical purposes when prescribed by a physician; in private establishments; or in the course of lawful employment by a licensed wholesaler, manufacturer or retailer of alcohol.
Opposition
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In the summer of 2008, over 100 college presidents from around the United States went public and voiced their opinions to reconsider the drinking age law, asking for it to be lowered. This effort was known as the Amethyst Initiative.
Drinking Bans
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Several states legislated further provisions that banned possession and consumption of alcohol by individuals under the age of 21. These states include Idaho, Indiana, Alabama, Kansas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
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