Introduction
Drinking alcohol is more dangerous for those who are younger and whose brains are still developing. Because of this public health concern, governments have set minimum ages at which people may drink. While the federal government has a legal age for purchasing alcohol, states are free to set their own laws regarding the age at which a person may privately consume alcohol.
Despite this ability by the states, many have decided to adopt a drinking age of 21 at the behest of the federal government. While the federal Constitution does not give Congress the ability to regulate private alcohol consumption, in the 1990s the White House began conditioning federal funds for highways upon states adopting a drinking age of 21.
While states have adopted minimum drinking ages, exceptions have been carved in state laws surrounding educational purposes, religious services, medical reasons, and with parental, guardian, or spousal consent.
Discover the drinking age by state by scrolling through the data in the charts.
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