Most abusers of these products began using them before the age of 21 and certainly well before the age of 25. .
Human Brains Are Not Fully Developed Until Age 24 or 25
One reason for the poor judgment that leads to alcohol abuse among young persons is that persons’ brains are not fully developed until their mid20s. According to the Alcohol Pharmacology Education Partnership [1], “there is clear evidence that the brain does not mature fully until about age 24.”
“The rational part of a teen’s brain isn’t fully developed and won’t be until age 25 or so” according to the University of Rochester Medical Center [2].
Raising the minimum age for consuming alcoholic beverages to age 25 and raising the minimum age for tobacco use to age 25 would benefit young people enormously. This includes raising the age for using e-cigarettes to 25. Using e-cigarettes, also called vaping, is also very harmful, as noted numerous sources, including the CDC in “Quick Facts on the Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults [3].”
Alcohol abuse is high among college students, who are primarily under age 25. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [4] cites a national study as finding “almost 53 percent of full-time college students ages 18 to 22 drank alcohol in the past month and about 33 percent engaged in binge drinking during that same time frame.” .
Death, assaults, sexual assaults, and academic problems are some of the problems alcohol abuse among college students leads to according to collegedrinkingprevention.gov [5], citing studies linked to in its article.
Passing and enforcing a minimum age limit of 25 would stop a lot of college student alcohol abuse. If effectively enforced, it could also eliminate alcohol abuse by high school students as well as by high-school dropouts in their teens and early twenties.
Raising the minimum age for consuming tobacco and alcoholic beverages could do enormous good. But additional benefits can come from reducing the maximum legal blood alcohol concentration to 0.05% from the current 0.08% limit in the United States. .
Lower the Maximum Legal BAC to 0.05%
Negative effects of alcoholic beverages occur well below 0.08%, including negative impacts on driving, as reported by Michigan Medicine [6] and ePermitTest [7], as well as numerous other sources.
Many countries already have a BAC maximum limit of 0.05% or less including Canada, France, Germany, and Italy, as noted by various sources, including RUPissed.com [8] and drinkdriving.org [9].
Litter Is a Side Issue
In addition to the health risks from alcohol and tobacco use itself, one of the side problems is the litter generated by them. Studies indicate that cigarette butts are one of the most common items among litter. [10] The picture below shows cigarette butts beside a sidewalk along Virginia Avenue here in Lexington, Kentucky on September 28th, 2021.
Furthermore, empty cigarette packages and alcoholic beverage containers are high on the list of litter too. I know I often see smoldering cigarette butts on the sidewalk or ground, as well as empty cigarette packages and alcoholic beverage containers--often broken beer bottles. Smoldering cigarette butts sometimes start fires. Broken glass bottles can cut persons or tires on vehicles.
Raising the age to begin consuming such products and effectively enforcing the age limit could reduce this litter, and thus reduce the accompanying risks of fires and cuts caused by the poor judgment of individuals.
Closing Thoughts
Raising the minimum age for consuming alcoholic beverages and using tobacco to 25 might prevent persons from ever starting to consume alcoholic beverages or use tobacco products. By age 25 the more-fully-developed brains and better judgment of young persons might lead them to conclude that the risks of using such products are not worth it. I certainly hope so.
ENDNOTES:
[1] “Content: Brain Maturation is Complete at About 24 Years of Age”; The Alcohol Pharmacology Education Partnership; https://sites.duke.edu/apep/module-3-alcohol-cell-suicide-and-the-adolescent-brain/content-brain-maturation-is-complete-at-about-24-years-of-age/
[2] “Understanding the Teen Brain”; University of Rochester Medical Center; https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=3051
[3] “Quick Facts on the Risks of E-Cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults”; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; webpage last reviewed August 25th, 2021; https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/Quick-Facts-on-the-Risks-of-E-cigarettes-for-Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults.html
[4] “College Drinking”; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; The quote I took from the article is referenced by an endnote in that article to the SAMSHA article cited below from their footnote. [SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Statistics and Quality. 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 6.21B—Types of Illicit Drug, Tobacco Product, and Alcohol Use in Past Month among Persons Aged 18 to 22, by College Enrollment Status and Gender: Percentages, 2018 and 2019. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt29394/NSDUHDetailedTabs2019/NSDUHDetTabsSect6pe2019.htm#tab6-21b. Accessed January 11, 2021.] That date accessed is the date the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism accessed the SAMSHA article. It was September 2021 when I accessed it via the link from the website below. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/college-drinking
[5] “College Drinking—Facts for Parents”; CollegeDrinkingPrevention.gov; https://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/parentsandstudents/parents/FactSheets/ParentFactSheet.aspx
[6] Uren, Brad, M.D.; “How Alcohol Impairs Your Ability to Drive”; Michigan Health; July 29, 2016; https://healthblog.uofmhealh.org/wellness-prevention/how-alcohol-impairs-your-ability-to-drive
[7] “The Effects of Alcohol on Your Driving Skills: Minimizing Driving Risks”; ePermitTest; updated November 21, 2020; https://www.epermittest.com/drivers-education/effects-alcohol-your-driving-skills
[8] Blood Alcohol Content Driving Limits By Country”; RUPissed; https://www.rupissed.com/blood_alcohol_limits.html
[9] “International BAC (blood alcohol concentration) Limits”; DrinkDriving.org; https://www.drinkdriving.org/worldwide_drink_driving_limits.php
[10] “Tobacco and the Environment”; truthinitiative.org; https://truthinitiative.org/sites/default/files/media/files/2021/03/Truth_Environment%20FactSheet%20Update%202021_final_030821.pdf
NOTE: This article was last revised on September 29th, 2021.
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