In response to a national campaign to reopen debate on lowering the legal drinking age from 21 to 18, a group of New Jersey agencies and organizations has formed the NJ21 Coalition, the Associated Press reported Sept. 4.

The coalition includes the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety, Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, and the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey.

"Since the drinking age was raised to 21 in New Jersey in the 1980s, we have seen nearly a 78 percent decrease in the number of young people ages 18 to 20 who have been killed in drunk driving crashes," said Attorney General Anne Milgram. "These numbers alone tell us without any doubt, the drinking age must be maintained."

Three presidents of colleges in New Jersey have signed onto the Amethyst Initiative, which calls for lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age to 18. "Drinking alcohol is illegal for students under the age of 21, and yet, despite the imposition of policies and disciplinary procedures, it is evident that alcohol and alcohol-related injuries, binge drinking, and alcohol abuse is a fact of life on college campuses across the nation," said Montclair State University President Susan A. Cole. The presidents of the Stevens Institute of Technology and Drew University also back the initiative.

"This is nothing more than college presidents passing the buck instead of thinking of more constructive ways to crack down on underage drinking," said New Jersey Senate President Richard J. Codey. "Furthermore, it opens up the floodgates to allow alcohol into the hands of high school students who are 18."