Old enough to drink

The appropriate state-sanctioned age for the legal consumption of alcohol continues to be debated in many countries around the world.

Canada’s drinking age varies by province. In most parts of the country, it is 19, but in Quebec, Alberta and Manitoba, legal drinking begins at 18.

The United States has one of the highest drinking ages in the world, 21, although some states in India set a minimum of 25, and other countries, such as Kyrgyzstan and Cambodia, don’t specify any legal minimum.

Some countries differentiate between consuming alcohol and purchasing alcohol as well as among types of alcohol when setting their minimum age.

Several European countries, including France, Germany and Switzerland, have a minimum age of 16 for beer and wine and 18 for spirits. In Italy, it’s 16 for all three types of alcohol.

Click here for a list of drinking age minimums around the world.

Some studies have found that a higher minimum legal drinking age prevents alcohol-related deaths and injuries among youth. A literature review of studies on the effect of increasing or decreasing the minimum age by the American Medical Association found that in the U.S., when the minimum age was lowered below 21, motor vehicle crashes and deaths among youth increased. When it was raised to 21, those younger than the minimum age still consumed alcohol but drank less and experienced fewer alcohol-related injuries and deaths.

Your View: Is there an optimum minimum age for legal drinking?Should the drinking age in Canada be lowered? Raised? Do you have experience with other countries/cultures that have different restrictions from Canada's?