The minimum drinking age is an issue plaguing the State Governments for a long time now

Kinky Friedman, American singer and humourist, is ever eager to talk about the right age to consume alcohol. He is brutally frank: “I am going to lower the drinking age to 18. If you are old enough to die in Iraq, you are old enough to drink.” Setting aside his forthrightness, the minimum drinking age is an issue both the society and the Government feel they need to decide if only to determine the moral order of growing up. The most liberal attitude can wilt under society’s pressure for allowing a youngster to have liquor. The issue at hand has to do with the drinking age, specifically the legality of it. An NGO on Wednesday challenged the Delhi Government’s decision to lower the drinking age in Delhi from 25 years to 21. The Government’s reply will be heard on September 17. Be that as it may, the vicarious pleasure of breaking the law is derived most by the under-aged when they steal a puff of a cigarette or surreptitiously gulp down a peg of liquor. One hardly comes across diligent tradespersons who verify the age of those buying liquor or stewards who refuse to serve alcohol to the under-aged in restaurants. At what age should a youngster drink and how to check violations has been part of the national discourse for the better part of a quarter-century. The challenge in the court is the latest in a series. It is high time that the issue is looked at through the joint prism of law and common sense.

A youth, living anywhere in India, can vote and apply for a driving licence at 18. When it comes to consuming alcohol, however, he or she can legally do so only in States where 18 years is the minimum age. Does it mean that the 18-year-old who has the maturity to decide which political party can govern the country best lacks a level head to imbibe alcohol? If the 18-year-old is a girl, she is also considered mature enough to shoulder the responsibility of marriage but will have to wait for seven more years to have liquor in Haryana. The National Capital Region presents a complex scenario where the various bordering states have different drinking ages. A mixed-age group of youngsters can never consume liquor together in any one State except by illegal means. That is what leads to smuggling, black marketing, jumping borders or buying substandard liquor. The provision of equality before the law within the territory of India under Article 14 of the Constitution does not apply to these youngsters because they face discrimination in the form of absence of a uniform drinking age. It is the norm across the world while it is a state subject in India and that results in these complications. Indian society can deal with the moral and health aspects of alcohol but first, allow the youngsters a level field by having a uniform drinking age.

(Courtesy: The Pioneer)

The minimum drinking age is an issue plaguing the State Governments for a long time now

Kinky Friedman, American singer and humourist, is ever eager to talk about the right age to consume alcohol. He is brutally frank: “I am going to lower the drinking age to 18. If you are old enough to die in Iraq, you are old enough to drink.” Setting aside his forthrightness, the minimum drinking age is an issue both the society and the Government feel they need to decide if only to determine the moral order of growing up. The most liberal attitude can wilt under society’s pressure for allowing a youngster to have liquor. The issue at hand has to do with the drinking age, specifically the legality of it. An NGO on Wednesday challenged the Delhi Government’s decision to lower the drinking age in Delhi from 25 years to 21. The Government’s reply will be heard on September 17. Be that as it may, the vicarious pleasure of breaking the law is derived most by the under-aged when they steal a puff of a cigarette or surreptitiously gulp down a peg of liquor. One hardly comes across diligent tradespersons who verify the age of those buying liquor or stewards who refuse to serve alcohol to the under-aged in restaurants. At what age should a youngster drink and how to check violations has been part of the national discourse for the better part of a quarter-century. The challenge in the court is the latest in a series. It is high time that the issue is looked at through the joint prism of law and common sense.

A youth, living anywhere in India, can vote and apply for a driving licence at 18. When it comes to consuming alcohol, however, he or she can legally do so only in States where 18 years is the minimum age. Does it mean that the 18-year-old who has the maturity to decide which political party can govern the country best lacks a level head to imbibe alcohol? If the 18-year-old is a girl, she is also considered mature enough to shoulder the responsibility of marriage but will have to wait for seven more years to have liquor in Haryana. The National Capital Region presents a complex scenario where the various bordering states have different drinking ages. A mixed-age group of youngsters can never consume liquor together in any one State except by illegal means. That is what leads to smuggling, black marketing, jumping borders or buying substandard liquor. The provision of equality before the law within the territory of India under Article 14 of the Constitution does not apply to these youngsters because they face discrimination in the form of absence of a uniform drinking age. It is the norm across the world while it is a state subject in India and that results in these complications. Indian society can deal with the moral and health aspects of alcohol but first, allow the youngsters a level field by having a uniform drinking age.

(Courtesy: The Pioneer)