Coors Head, Seeking Senate, Calls for Lower Drinking Age June 28, 2004
News Summary
Coors Brewing Co. tycoon Peter Coors, running as a Republican candidate for Senate in Colorado, said he supports lowering the state's current drinking age from 21 to 18, the Associated Press reported June 24.
In debating his primary opponent, Bob Schaffer, Coors said that a lower drinking age would help teens drink more responsibly. Under the current drinking age law, Coors said, young people are drinking anyway and the law is making them criminals.
He also said that the federal government shouldn't force states to comply with the 21 drinking age.
In response to Coors' comments, James Copple, co-director of the International Institute for Alcohol Awareness, said, "Underage drinking destroys lives and costs our nation billions of dollars."
Editor's notes: Mark Pertschuk, the executive director of the Marin Institute, responds to Peter Coors' suggestion to lower the drinking age.
The Coors Brewing Company has posted a statement on its website supporting the current drinking age of 21.
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