David J. Hanson

The minimum drinking age of twenty-one is based on the ideology of prohibitionism rather than on any scientific evidence of its effectiveness, David J. Hanson argues in the following viewpoint. In fact, Hanson contends that major scientific studies offer proof of the ineffectiveness of minimum age drinking laws. Further, he maintains that teaching young people how to drink moderately and responsibly is a better solution to under-age drinking problems than prohibiting them from drinking at all. David J. Hanson is a professor of sociology at the State University of New York at Potsdam.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Hanson, why have prohibitionists tried to retain their control over the drinking behavior of young people"
2. What does Hanson argue is the impact of raised minimum age legislation on...