Why 21?

• Alcohol kills 6 ½ times more young people than all other illegal drugs combined.
• Youth who drink alcohol are 7 ½ times more likely to use any illicit drug, more than 22 times more likely to use marijuana, and 50 times more likely to use cocaine than youth who never drank.
• An adolescent’s central nervous system and brain are not yet fully developed and are especially sensitive to alcohol and other drugs. Addiction happens much faster—in as little as 6-18 months.
• Underage drinking is the leading cause of adult alcoholism.
• National data reveals more than 16,500 traffic deaths have been averted since states started raising the minimum drinking age to 21.
• Youth who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than youth who wait until 21.