Wash. state initiative filed to lower drinking age to 19

[Newsjock]

Source: The Stranger

An initiative was filed today in Olympia to lower the legal drinking age in Washington state to 19.

To earn a place on the November ballot, sponsor Dustin Reischman needs to submit 241,153 valid signatures of registered Washington voters by July 2 to the Attorney General's office (they recommend 300,000 signatures to cushion those ruled out as invalid).

... Reishman believes the money WA would lose in federal transportation funding could be recovered in time and resources for processing MIPs. Also, if citizens are worried about teens crossing the border into WA to drink, he suggests the legislature make only WA driver's licenses valid for buying booze between the ages of 19 and 21.

Jim Cooper, vice president for the Washington Association for Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention, negates Reishman's argument with two words: brain development.

Read more: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2010/02/10/initiative-to-lower-drinking-age-to-19

[Sebastian Doyle]

1. The Canadians will hate this

Think of how much money the BC bars will lose if college students in Bellingham don't have to cross the border to drink legally.

[Monk06]

4. Are you kidding where else is a 19 yo going to find cheap beer, santa claus', strippers,

and Motley Crue in the same location

http://static1.px.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/zq3f1_Y0wh8Wzmts8Komuw/l

[freeplessinseattle]

6. I was reminiscing about this with a friend the other day

Canada was "our Mexico", without the sunshine. Who needed sunshine at the Ocean Beach, a heavily advertised meat market on KISM that boasted a tiny dance floor in White Rock. Which seemed so exotic and full of possibilities to me at the time.

I must admit though, it was weird seeing people I'd graduated from high school with only a year before-some seemed too young to be drinking, lol, but they were the same age as me.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

13. Probably not that much.

Western students aren't that big on partying. Well, at least when it comes to alcohol. And I don't think there's that much of a supply problem either.

[Blecht]

2. DUI revenue

There should also be a nice increase in revenue from DUI convictions, especially from the OR and ID border traffic involving 19 year-olds.

[AllentownJake]

3. Libby Dole's legacy

21 year old drinking age.

[Lasher]

5. Ruh roh, MAD is gonna be, well, mad.

Good on Reischman. The age should be 18 though, for the same reason that justified the 26th Amendment.

[era veteran]

7. Bad mistake

Alcohol is fucking evil, legalize weed.

[paulsby]

9. alcohol ABUSE is

plenty of countries (for example in oh so enlightened europe, i say sarcastically) have much lower drinking ages than us.

one can have a low drinking age AND have low DUI rates. you vigorously enforce laws against the latter, and educate people that driving impaired is not acceptable.

here's a hint.

19 and 20 yr olds drink like fish.

and most cops i know aren;t going to cite a 20 yr old for MIP unless the person acts egregiously.

[era veteran]

11. I turned 21 in Germany many years ago

The so called enlightened drinking habits of European drinking in the younger set is an old myth.

[paulsby]

12. it depends on the country

i've been to england and france.

in england, (at least when i was there), if you could reach the bar, they'd serve you a beer.

[MadBadger]

8. I think 19 is the right age

[TexasObserver]

10. Recommend