Introduction


When it comes to drinking age and most recently tobacco age nationwide it is no secret that we are the only modern, westernized, first world country that forbids adults over the age of 20 from engaging in these basic adult recreational activities. The most comparable countries to the United States, arguably Australia, Canada, New Zealand and United Kingdom all have a drinking age and tobacco age below 20 and nearly all of Latin America, Europe, and Africa have the legal age below 20 as well. Nonetheless support is widespread in the U.S. for this gap in adult rights, which is granted at 18 but set at 21 for alcohol and tobacco. The major health organizations, NHSTA, and NTSB support these laws and represent these policies as being backed by the strongest, most non-negotiable research, but one question lingers, why haven't other developed, first world countries with high standards for public safety take on these policies?

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