Would it cut binge drinking - or just make it worse?

By Nina Mehlhaf, KTVZ.COM

Presidents of three Oregon colleges have joined with over 100 others at such notable schools as Duke, Dartmouth and Syracuse to push lawmakers to consider changing the drinking age from 21 to 18. 

They say it would help to end binge-drinking and de-mystify it for young people. Others like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, as you would imagine, are strongly against the idea.

There are 104 college presidents so far who've signed an initiative at http://www.amethystinitiative.org/ to get lawmakers to lower the drinking age to 18.

The presidents of Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Willamette University in Salem and Pacific University in Forest Grove are on that list. All say binge drinking is a problem on their campuses, and allowing 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds to legally drink, instead of hiding it, would get rid of a host of problems.

Student Lauren Malitz said, "I think it makes sense. Most students underage drink anyway, so why not do it legally?"

College student Steve Sok said, "They should do it, but they should do it definitely slow. People are going to find a way to do it anyway - I did."

Officials at Central Oregon Community College in Bend say the proposal doesn't really apply to community colleges, because they're not residential. Only 100 students live in the Juniper Hall dorm.

Alicia Moore, dean of student services, said, "I have to admit, I was a bit surprised that college presidents would take such a public stance on such a controversial issue, simply because there are so many pros and cons that come with the drinking age."

In 1984, every state in the nation agreed to move up the drinking age from 18 to 21, getting more federal highway money as an incentive.

Citing fewer teen deaths in those 24 years, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, wants 21 to stay, saying:

"Lowering the drinking age passes this big problem to those in the high school community already dealing with very serious underage drinking issues. When the 'forbidden fruit' is no longer forbidden, youth simply drink more."

And plenty of people like Bend resident Dana Yaniro agree.

 "I don't think it's going to change" underage drinking, she said. "I think those kids who are doing that now are going to be even more prolific drinkers. I think that taboo aspect will just kind of jump down to the younger-aged kids."

You can make your views on the issue known in our new KTVZ.COM poll - and, of course, in the comments below this article.