Should NZ raise the drinking age from 18 to 20 years old?

[nzbrewer]

How do you educate a whole population on how to consume a drug responsibly?

[nzbrewer]

[Kempicus]

Huge culture shift is needed away from the Northern European/Anglo saxon consume alcohol as quickly as you can in huge quantities to the mediterranean drink with food and drink with family lifestyle....

[nzbrewer]

And how is that going to happen?

Do you think raising the drinking age and raising excise tax will do that?

[Kempicus]

Not at all, raising the legal age will only make underage drinking more desirable, i can't have it so i want it more (kinda like me and renaissance paradox)

And raising excise tax will only make cheaper options more desirable and i kinda think it's like the increase in tobacco tax....initial drop in the amount purchased but then a gradual increase back to previous levels, people will fit it into their budget somehow.

To be honest i don't think a huge cultural shift is possible and i don't think the government ultimately wants a huge move away from the 'drowning the sorrows' culture!
Hell people might actually start paying attention to things and start questioning things if they can't rely on sport and booze to make the bad week go away!

[James P]

At least with the lower drinking age those drinkers in the lower socio economic areas learn to make my mate some eggs earlier in life. (oops very non PC)

The age argument is irrelevant if you teach a person the responsibilty of drinking, in addition getting alcohol as an underager is easy when you know someone. How many people (including parents) have been charged with supply in the last four years??

As Kempicus has said, education for the appreciation of mixing your culinary delights, or social occasions with quality and not quantity!

[nzbrewer]

So if you can't educate the masses to be responsible, then why not reward the educated with a lower tax, i.e. on craft beer.

Give small brewers a tax break, and the difference can be made by putting up the overall excise tax.

[Kempicus]

I agree, i'd also cut the GST on fruit and vege etc etc etc

[Greig McGill]

I'd put UP GST, and cut PAYE, and excise. Then everyone is taxed based on what they consume, not what they produce. While I hate the mass drunkenness that seemed to increase as soon as the drinking age was lowered, I'm not in favour of raising it again either. More legislation/restrictions is never a good thing. Just uphold the rights of individual bar owners to set their own age limits, and patronise the bars where your choices are encouraged.

I know, sounds so simple on "paper".

[HerrSchnapps]

If you can marry, sign a contract, vote, buy a house, be tried as an adult, go to war, smoke, screw and be sued; then you can buy a beer. Hell, I can think of people in their 40's & 50's who shouldn't be allowed to drink. Only way to change things is by showing people better, alternative ways, and aim for the young. The oldies are already beset in their ways.
Sincerely,
One of 'dem a'young whippersnappers.

[denimglen]

Yeah I agree.

If they take beer away from the under-21s they should at least take away the vote, trial, and army.

[Steph]

Me too. It seems ridiculous that you can vote and not drink. Lots of uneducated and foolish people vote but we don't raise the voting age. I think getting rid of happy hours and pub drink specials that encourage the binge might help

[nzbrewer]

The government should read this book

Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite

First Sentence:
UNTIL the Mexico Olympics of 1968 the customary way for a high jumper to cross the bar was with his body parallel to it, in a technique known as the Western Roll.