Citation

Rehm J. Lancet Public Health 2023; 8(5): e321-e322.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S2468-2667(23)00054-3

PMID

37120255

Abstract

In their latest review of alcohol control policies, Babor and colleagues classify laws that involve increases to the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) as best practice with a high degree of clear and consistent evidence. The prime example for implementing such laws was the US increase in MLDA from age 18 years to age 21 years, which was associated with reduced night-time traffic fatalities, lower suicide mortality, and decreased arrest rates for various crimes.
Similar results in other, mostly high-income countries corroborated the effects of increasing the MLDA. The research evidence on longer-term consequences is scarce and non-conclusive, and the few studies available are plagued with insufficient controls...

Language: en