What do you think the "drinking age" should be?

[kiwifruit]

At what age do you think it should be legal for New Zealanders to buy alcoholic beverages?

[YellowDog]

The fact is that kids will always get their hands on alcohol and drink to excess.

Rather than changing the age, which will have close to zero effect, increasing the price of kids drinks such as 'Alchopops' etc will have a greater effect.

[Deano]

I think lowering the age was a mistake in the first place. The crime etc stats back this up (apparently)

My wife discovered a new phenomena when the drinking age was lowered. She couldn't get into the women's toilet because of the cues.

The reason for the cues was silly little 18 y/o girls who couldn't handle their liquor, bleating on to half a dozen of their mates about how..."Johnny kissed/danced with/etc Sarah...OMG, I'm soooo like depressed......"

Of course most blokes loooooved it, having silly little 18 y/o girls on the piss.

Sorry to any silly little 18 y/o girls this might offend, but of course you will only be offended if the shoe fits eh

[Deano]

It's not necessarily the young kids causing all the problems but. There is no one simple answer.

[Sidewinder]

At what age do you think it should be legal for New Zealanders to buy alcoholic beverages?

if i couldnt drink you would never get to touch me!

[Indiana_Jones]

20

-Indy

[Flatcap]

Rather than changing the age, which will have close to zero effect, increasing the price of kids drinks such as 'Alchopops' etc will have a greater effect.

Already tried that, and blew out the price of my sherry

Bastards

[Dean]

At what age do you think it should be legal for New Zealanders to buy alcoholic beverages?

Either way two parties wont be satisfied if made higher or lower.

If you make the drinking age 20 per ce, then this will only lead to more theft related crimes, because the demand amongst teens to get alchohol would be fairly high. They could escalate ways of getting alchohol, and many arrests on persons under 20, because a huge portion of teenagers consume alchohol whether they are allowed or not. If lowered more drunk driving related crashes would sky rocket, assault etc and old folks fighting for the age to be made higher. Its a endless debate

At a after party 2 weeks ago me and a few mates were waiting outside a liqour store and the man walks out with a hammer and tells us not to try anything stupid (because it was the night of the school ball and he knew our intentions and we were wearing hoodies dark sunglasses). I was thirsty for some liqour! it was in demand and cops where everywhere, but i didnt go to the extremes, luckily i got some anyway.

[The Stranger:Me]

The fact is that kids will always get their hands on alcohol and drink to excess.

Rather than changing the age, which will have close to zero effect, increasing the price of kids drinks such as 'Alchopops' etc will have a greater effect.

You don't own a gun per chance do you?
Where as before when the drinking age was 20, 18yr olds had easy access, now 16yr olds do.
"Kids" will simply adapt their drinking habits to suit the price - as happend last time the govt tried to price kids out of certain drinks - remember. It failed then, what makes you think it will succeed this time?

[enigma51]

At what age do you think it should be legal for New Zealanders to buy alcoholic beverages?

12.

Its a recession people have a lot to drink about.

[Rayray401]

At a after party 2 weeks ago me and a few mates were waiting outside a liqour store and the man walks out with a hammer and tells us not to try anything stupid (because it was the night of the school ball and he knew our intentions and we were wearing hoodies dark sunglasses). I was thirsty for some liqour! it was in demand and cops where everywhere, but i didnt go to the extremes, luckily i got some anyway.

Lol @ Dean, maybe if you dressed more properly and didnt look like a gang member the man wouldnt have brought the hammer out with him?

And I agree, no point raising/lowering drinking ages. I'd educate more respect into the young ones about alcohol. Drinking isnt as much of a problem in eu cos theyre taught to respect it more and binge less, drinking age in germany is 16 if i recall. I think just educate the kids more and back this up by raising prices on teen drinks like someone said.

[sAsLEX]

New Zealand's binge drinking culture was caused by draconian drinking laws.

Lets fix it by adding more laws.....

[Flatcap]

I think just educate the kids more and back this up by raising prices on teen drinks like someone said.

....teen drinks?...not so hard to go back to mixing your own

[Flatcap]

New Zealand's binge drinking culture was caused by draconian drinking laws.

Lets fix it by adding more laws.....

Exactly - forget the drinking age, make it an offence to be drunk in public instead

[short-circuit]

Either way two parties wont be satisfied if made higher or lower.

If you make the drinking age 20 per ce, then this will only lead to more theft related crimes, because the demand amongst teens to get alchohol would be fairly high. They could escalate ways of getting alchohol, and many arrests on persons under 20, because a huge portion of teenagers consume alchohol whether they are allowed or not. If lowered more drunk driving related crashes would sky rocket, assault etc and old folks fighting for the age to be made higher. Its a endless debate

At a after party 2 weeks ago me and a few mates were waiting outside a liqour store and the man walks out with a hammer and tells us not to try anything stupid (because it was the night of the school ball and he knew our intentions and we were wearing hoodies dark sunglasses). I was thirsty for some liqour! it was in demand and cops where everywhere, but i didnt go to the extremes, luckily i got some anyway.

Are you pished now bro? You're almost incomprehensible