when did the drinking age increase to 21
mid-1988
title: U.S. history of alcohol minimum purchase age by state text: 10% of their federal highway funds. By mid-1988, all 50 states and the District of Columbia had raised their purchase ages to 21 (but not Puerto Rico, Guam, or the Virgin Islands, see Additional Notes below). South Dakota and Wyoming were the final two states to comply with the age 21 mandate. The current drinking age of 21 remains a point of contention among many Americans, because of it being higher than the age of majority (18 in most states) and higher than the drinking ages of most other countries. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act is also seen as title: Alcohol law text: Canada enacted prohibition of alcohol sales, consumption and distribution between the years of 1910 and 1920. After prohibition was ended, most provinces had a minimum drinking age of 21 years, while in the early 70s the age limit was lowered to either 18 or 19 years of age. Later a few provinces and territories raised their age limit from 18 to 19 in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The legal age for buying and possessing (but not necessarily for drinking) has been 21 years in every state since shortly after the passage of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act title: U.S. history of alcohol minimum purchase age by state text: from 21 to 18 in 1971 with the 26th amendment. Many states started to lower their minimum drinking age in response, most of this occurring in 1972 or 1973. Twelve states kept their purchase ages at 21 since repeal of Prohibition and never changed them. From 1976 to 1983, several states voluntarily raised their purchase ages to 19 (or, less commonly, 20 or 21), in part to combat drunk driving fatalities. 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 title: National Minimum Drinking Age Act text: occasions (e.g. communion wines, Kiddush). The act was expressly upheld as constitutional in 1987 by the United States Supreme Court in "South Dakota v. Dole". Legislation concerning the legal minimum drinking age in the United States can be traced back to the days of Prohibition. In 1920, the 18th amendment to the U.S. Constitution declared it illegal to manufacture, transport, or sell intoxicating liquors. This was repealed with the passing of the 21st Amendment in 1933, which was followed by the adoption of minimum legal drinking age policies in all states, with most states electing a minimum legal drinking age title: Legal drinking age controversy in the United States text: Legal drinking age controversy in the United States The legal drinking age varies from country to country. In the United States, the legal drinking age is currently 21. Other countries have raised the prices of alcohol and encouraged the general public to drink less. Having a legal drinking age of 21 allows for the hope that drinking would become less reckless and the people drinking would be more mature to make reasonable decisions when it comes to alcohol consumption. A survey of Australian college students demonstrated that they and other students witnessed blackouts during parties with alcohol consumption and around