High Times

Teenagers drink. A lot. Whenever they can. As much as they can get. It's not a new phenomena. It's always been the case. I'm sure it's more common than in the past but it's a matter of degree rather than a real change in the social dynamic.

A hundred presidents of colleges and universities around the country have petitioned Congress to repeal legislation that forces States to impose a 21 year old drinking age or lose Federal highway funds.

The interesting thing about this is,the underage drinkers don't give a shit whether drinking is illegal or not. They can get all the liquor they want. They can drink it whenever and wherever they want. They don't bear their parents, elders or society any grudge about it. For them, it's just part of being young. It's the way things are, the way they've always been and will be. They do not find the prohibition punitive or restrictive. It's not like the kids would ever be able to drink in public anyway, that's illegal for everyone. They don't yearn to drink in bars or night clubs, most of them don't have the money for that. Besides, none of their friends or contemporaries are in those places. They find their own places to party. It's not that hard. It's more exclusive. It's more fun.

Ironically, the academic leaders want to lower the drinking age, so that they can better start a dialog with students, that they already know consume large quantities of alcohol with impunity. They actually want to work on the problem. Parents, police, churches and other figures of authority, gave up on the situation decades ago.

Underage drinking teaches young people that the rules don't really mean shit and that most of them are not reality based. The sooner they learn that, the better.

Drink up, kids!