Alcohol & Kids - The UK & USA legal differences

This is one of those things that you don't hear reported or mentioned often.

I've long argued that the legal drinking age in the United States should be decreased to 18 because that's the age at which it has been declared a person in the US is responsible enough to do everything else "adult". In this context the term "adult" can refer to anything from sex to voting to volunteering to join the military. It makes logical sense to deduce that someone who is capable of these actions should also be considered capable of responsible alcohol consumption. After all, they are old enough to get married and have children of their own which will have to be taught lessons of responsibility as well.

But the United States of America is morally confused on too many issues and "underage drinking" is just another one of those subjects.

...but not in the United Kingdom.

Check out this article about the legality of teenage drinking in the UK. The "hard line" point made in the article is that under no circumstances should someone under 15 drink alcohol.

So it' legal for "kids" in the United Kingdom to drink in pubs if they're over 15 (yes, fifteen) and having the drink with a purchasing adult.

It seems to me that denying a citizen of the United States of America the right to drink what they want is a shameful commentary of a double standard that can be experienced each time they go to a grocery store: You can legally buy over-the-counter medication with an alcohol percentage upwards of 25% (which is far above the 4.5 - 5.5% alcohol found in just about all popular beer) and containing drugs which can have significantly stronger effects than alcohol but you cannot buy a six pack of beer.

This policy of double-standards won't change soon, if it does change ever. The reason? There are no lobbyists working to end this simple injustice. Nope, the American Association of Young People (AAYP) doesn't exist so I guess the policies of the AARP (American Association of Retired People) will continue to be the dominant driver in US politics. ...joy.

(update: Thanks to Matt's comment which points out there IS an AAYP.)