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Drinking Age Questioned

Hanover, New Hampshire - July 4, 2009

The former president of Dartmouth College says the drinking age should be lowered to 18.  

James Wright joins many other college presidents in signing the so called Amethyst initiative sponsored by former Middlebury President John McCardell. Wright is a former Marine, and he has often visited wounded vets in military hospitals. He says they ought to be able to drink legally.

"These kids, many of them, are coming back here with wounds from Iraq and Afghanistan;  they cant go down the street and buy a beer. We can give them some of the most lethal weapons in the world to carry with them and we ask them to put themselves at risk and in danger and when they come back here they cant buy a beer because they're simply not adults. They can select the president of the United States, but we don't think they're adult enough to buy a beer," said Wright.

Wright thinks alcohol abuse and drunk driving can be dealt with more aggressively, but thinks making 18 the drinking age makes sense. However, he does not believe it will happen anytime soon.