It is a fact that underage drinking is rampant among college students and in areas around college campuses. While many think the drinking age should be lowered, the legal age currently stands at 21.
The police are obligated to enforce the law. However, there are some tactics that are more beneficial when addressing concerns about underage drinking than others.
The raid near Yale University earlier this month is an example of what shouldn’t be done. When the New Haven Police and liquor agents entered a private nightclub, five Yale students were arrested and one student was Tasered.
We are concerned that the police were too forceful. Enforcers of the law in New Haven that weekend were doing their job as part of a planned initiative designed to curb violence. But underage drinking isn’t just a problem for legal reasons. It is also an issue because young people tend to drink in ways that harm their health. If students are primarily worried about getting in trouble with the police, they will focus less on being responsible and getting help if they get sick — regardless of Yale’s medical amnesty policy.
The best way to send a message to college students about drinking is to educate them about the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption. Raids like the one near Yale do more to increase police loathing than to help solve a problem.
