<p>I read somewhere that the 21 drinking age has lowered rates of alcohol related car accidents, which was its purpose. However, it has led to an increase in binge drinking on campuses, because under-21 students now feel the need to “pre-party” or “power drink” before they go out in public. I don’t think it’s just down to the choice of beverage. There doesn’t seem to be any behavioral norm among college students anymore that you should be able to hold your liquor. In my day there was, even though we had more “drinking rights.”</p>
<p>I see recreational pot use among middle-aged people as kind of juvenile. I don’t anyone my age who still uses it. I can’t see how you can really hold down a professional career and raise a family while habitually using it. It seems to sap ambition and mental acuity in a way that moderate alcohol use does not. I have no scientific evidence of this; it’s just my observation. I’d be interested in others’ perspectives.</p>