Those who advocate for a higher drinking age cite a variety of reasons. The country saw significant increases in drinking … When New Zealand lowered its drinking age to 18 it experienced a “sharp increase in binge drinking among teenagers and young adults.” 9. According to MADD, the National Minimum Drinking Age Act (NMDAA) has saved some 17,000 lives on the highways since 1988. Public Health Benefits of Raising the Drinking Age to 21. M an does not live by drink alone. The alcohol-sex cocktail. The legal drinking age was reduced from 20 to 18 in 1999 and there is evidence that this has increased harm, particularly by lowering the ‘de facto’ drinking age to 14-17. The legal drinking age in New Zealand is practically non-existent, but the alcohol purchase age is 18 years old. Support for the split age provision is generally based on concern about the way young people drink, and a belief that the lowering of the purchase age to 18 in 1999 has allowed young people to drink large amounts of alcohol more readily in unsafe and uncontrolled environments. As of December 2015, Portugal harmonized its minimum drinking age to 18 years across all beverage types. It’s not illegal for Kiwis under 18 to drink, but there are certain laws put in place to deter minors from drinking alcohol. The minimum legal age for purchasing alcohol in New Zealand is currently 18 years, but there is no legal drinking age in this country. None of the three students were born when, 20 years ago tomorrow, New Zealand lowered the legal drinking age from 20 to 18. Friends (from left) Courtney Keith-Bourke (19) and Sam Moore (18) describe themselves as "the one percent" of their peers who are not regular heavy drinkers. However, selling alcoholic drinks to children under the age of 18 years in premises is considered illegal and attracts a fine of €250 to €1000. In 2002, Renato Balduzzi, the then Health Minister proposed to raise the minimum drinking age to 18 years. Finally, in 1984, the federal government, backed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), ordered all 50 states to raise their legal drinking age to 21 years old or suffer a 10 percent cut in their annual federal highway dollars. The new law brings the drinking age into line with the rest of Spain, with the exception of Baleares Islands where no purchase age limit is set. Sitting in a New Zealand meadow at midnight and looking up at the stars, drunk, is a magical experience. It is, however, illegal for anyone under the age of 18 years (a minor) to buy alcohol. The excise duty on alcohol has not been increased in years, so alcohol has become much more affordable, driving an … These arguments often begin with general appeals to … Italy has set a minimum legal drinking age at 16 years, one of the lowest MLDA in the world. * Andy Towers: New Zealand doesn't have a culture of youth drinking * Auckland bar Longroom's under-22 age policy not illegal Even after pub hours were extended till 10pm in 1967, New Zealand… Things aren’t much better south of the equator. By 1987, every governor had complied. Since the lowering of the drinking age in 1999: Asturias was Spain's last community with a drinking age of 16 years. They also recommend transitioning to a zero blood-alcohol limit for all drivers in Australia and New Zealand. You can drink throughout the entire night in New Zealand, and it’s one of the best places to do it too because New Zealand is a magical place. 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