Mason Delacroix
In the 1970s, the legal drinking age in Minnesota was lowered from 21 to 18. This change took effect on June 1, 1973, and was largely a result of the passing of the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. However, this law was short-lived, as Minnesota raised the drinking age to 19 in 1976 and then to 21 in 1986. The change in 1976 was influenced by an increase in drunk driving fatalities and health issues associated with young people abusing alcohol. The increase in 1986 was due to lobbying by a group called Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date Minnesota's drinking age was lowered to 18 | 1 June 1973 |
| Date Minnesota's drinking age was raised to 19 | 1 September 1976 |
| Date Minnesota's drinking age was raised to 21 | 1986 |
| Reasons for raising the drinking age | Increase in drunken driving fatalities and health issues associated with young people abusing alcohol |
| Reasons for lowering the drinking age | The age of majority was lowered to 18 |
| Current calls to lower the drinking age | Representative Phyllis Kahn of Minneapolis has introduced two bills to allow 18-year-olds to drink in bars or with parental supervision |
| Current calls to maintain the drinking age | Senior social work major Ashley Provo believes that the law would cause more harm than good |
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What You'll Learn
The Minnesota drinking age was lowered to 18 in 1973
In 1973, the state of Minnesota lowered its legal drinking age from 21 to 18. This change took effect on June 1, 1973, and it was met with enthusiasm by young people who could now legally consume alcohol. The push to lower the drinking age was driven by the argument that individuals could be sent to fight in the Vietnam War at 18 but were not allowed to drink legally. This discrepancy led to activism and the eventual change in the law.
The minimum legal drinking age in Minnesota has fluctuated over the years. Prior to 1973, the drinking age was 21, which was the age of legal adulthood or majority. When the age of majority was lowered to 18 in 1973, it resulted in the corresponding drop in the drinking age. However, this change was short-lived.
By 1976, the legal drinking age in Minnesota was raised to 19, and in 1986, it was further increased to 21, where it remains today. The increase in 1986 was influenced by lobbying efforts from groups like Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, who advocated for stricter regulations. The primary reason for these adjustments was the rise in alcohol-related crashes and health issues among young people, which prompted concerns about public safety.
Despite the current legal drinking age of 21, there have been recent discussions and proposals to lower it back to 18. Advocates for this change, such as Representative Phyllis Kahn, argue that it could help address issues like binge drinking on college campuses and promote responsible drinking in public settings. Additionally, some proponents contend that if individuals are considered old enough to serve in the military at 18, they should also be legally allowed to consume alcohol. However, there are differing opinions on this matter, with some expressing concerns about the potential negative impact on young people's health and well-being.
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It was raised to 19 in 1976
Minnesota's legal drinking age was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1973. This change was a result of the passing of the 26th Amendment in 1971, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. The drinking age in Minnesota was raised to 19 in 1976 and then to 21 in 1986.
The change in 1973 was a significant one, as it meant that many young people could now legally enter bars and purchase alcohol. This freedom was short-lived, however, as just three years later, the drinking age was raised again.
The reason for the change in 1976 was likely due to the increase in drunk driving fatalities and health issues associated with young people abusing alcohol. Between 1969 and 1976, 30 states lowered their minimum legal drinking ages (MLDA) to 18, 19, or 20. However, several of these states then decided to raise the age again to combat the negative consequences of underage drinking.
Minnesota's decision to raise the MLDA to 19 in 1976 was in line with the actions taken by several other states at the time. This change would have meant that 18-year-olds were no longer able to purchase alcohol legally, and it is likely that this had a significant impact on the lives of young people in the state.
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It was raised again to 21 in 1986
In 1984, Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which required states to raise their ages for purchase and public possession to 21 by October 1986 or lose 10% of their federal highway funding. In Minnesota, this change was due in part to lobbying by a new group called Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. The drinking age in Minnesota was raised to 21 in 1986, seven years after the Beaver Pond, a popular spot for college drinkers, closed.
The change in 1986 was not the first time Minnesota had raised the drinking age. In 1976, the drinking age in Minnesota was raised from 18 to 19, and in 1986, it was raised again to 21. This was not the first time that the drinking age in Minnesota had been 21; prior to 1973, the drinking age was the age of legal adulthood (the age of majority), which was 21.
The 18-year-old drinking age in Minnesota was relatively short-lived, lasting from 1973 to 1976. The change was made in conjunction with the lowering of the voting age to 18. However, the 18-year-old drinking age was repealed due to a rise in alcohol-related crashes with young, impaired drivers.
The drinking age has varied over time in Minnesota, and there have been several efforts to lower it again. For example, in 2023, Minnesota representative Phyllis Kahn introduced two bills related to drinking age. One would allow 18-year-olds to legally drink in a restaurant or bar, and another would let them drink if accompanied by a parent or guardian of legal age.
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The change in 1973 was due to the lowered voting age
In 1973, Minnesota lowered the legal drinking age from 21 to 18. This change was due to several factors, one of which was the lowered voting age.
In 1971, two years before Minnesota's amendment, the 26th Amendment was passed, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 across the United States. As a result, many states began to lower their minimum drinking age requirements in response, with most of these changes occurring in 1972 and 1973. This was because, at the time, there was a growing sentiment that individuals who could be sent to fight in the Vietnam War at 18 should also be allowed to drink legally.
The push to lower the drinking age in Minnesota was likely influenced by this sentiment, and the state followed the lead of other states that had already made this change. The change in the drinking age in Minnesota occurred on June 1, 1973, and it led to a significant cultural shift, with many young people taking advantage of their newfound freedom to consume alcohol.
However, the lower drinking age also led to an increase in alcohol-related issues, particularly among young people. This resulted in Minnesota raising the drinking age to 19 in 1976 and then to 21 in 1986, in an effort to combat drunk driving fatalities and health issues associated with youth alcohol abuse. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act, passed by Congress in 1984, also played a role in this increase, as it threatened to withhold 10% of federal highway funds from states that did not raise their drinking age to 21 by 1986.
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There are proposals to lower the drinking age to 18 again
In Minnesota, the legal drinking age was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1973. However, this did not last long, as the drinking age was raised to 19 in 1976 and then back to 21 in 1986, where it remains today. Over the past 50 years, the legal drinking age in Minnesota has fluctuated between 18 and 21, changing on several occasions.
There are currently proposals to lower the drinking age to 18 again. Representative Phyllis Kahn of Minneapolis has introduced two bills to the Minnesota House of Representatives that aim to lower the legal drinking age. The first bill would allow 18-year-olds to legally drink in a restaurant or bar, but not purchase alcohol from a liquor store. The second bill would let 18-year-olds drink in bars or restaurants when accompanied by their parents or a guardian of legal age. Kahn has been trying for years to get the drinking age lowered, and she believes that moving towards a more European-style approach will help curb underage binge drinking. She also argues that giving younger people opportunities to drink in public settings will help them learn how to treat alcohol more responsibly.
One argument in support of lowering the drinking age is that the legal age of adulthood in Minnesota is 18, and individuals at this age are allowed to make other significant life decisions, such as joining the military. Proponents of the bill contend that if someone is old enough to fight and die for their country, they should be considered old enough to drink legally. Additionally, the argument is made that lowering the drinking age would make drinking safer for students by lessening the possibility of drinking and driving.
However, there is also opposition to lowering the drinking age. Some people argue that the brain is not fully developed until 25 years old, and that individuals at 18 are still in the mentality of teenagers. There are concerns that lowering the drinking age would cause more harm than good and result in more alcohol-related crashes and violations on campus. Additionally, it is important to consider the potential impact on public health and safety, as drunken driving fatalities and health issues associated with young people abusing alcohol have been observed in the past when the drinking age was lowered.
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Frequently asked questions
Minnesota's drinking age became 18 in 1973.
Before 1973, the drinking age in Minnesota was 21.
The age of majority in Minnesota was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1973, which resulted in the drinking age being lowered to 18 as well.
The drinking age in Minnesota was raised to 19 in 1976 and then to 21 in 1986.
The drinking age was raised to 21 in response to an increase in drunk driving fatalities and health issues associated with young people abusing alcohol.
