<p>I’ll assume you’re not a parent, even though this is the Parents Forum. But you are probably right: from a public health perspective, the drinking age should actually be 25, not 21, the point at which risks for long-term alcohol-related problems, alcoholism, cirrhosis, liver cancer, etc., as well as DUI fatalities, alcohol-related rapes and sexual assaults, and ER admissions for alcohol poisonings actually decline. Perhaps we could issue a special license to drink for those who are only 21 if they have clean records, and take a “safe drinking” course.</p>