Drinking Age,

Should it be Lowered?

To: Prof. Adam Dolguin

For: Camilo Toro-Ramirez & Mark Rossi
Date: Jul 30, 2017
Table of Contents
Summary.....................................................................................................................................................2
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Young people can make important decisions already.................................................................................3
Lowering the age of drinking decreases unsafe drinking.............................................................................3
Lowering the age of dinking is good for the economy.................................................................................4
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................4
Recommendation........................................................................................................................................4
References...................................................................................................................................................5
Appendix - A................................................................................................................................................ii
Appendix - B................................................................................................................................................iii

Summary
Lowering the legal drinking age in Canada may have positive effects on Canada’s public policy
coherence and consistency regarding young people since they are considered responsible
enough to engage in more dangerous activities. Lowering the legal age may have positive safety
healthcare outcomes as alcohol-related injuries are more promptly reported and treated as
well as having better oversight and management in the private sector. Introducing a new age
demographic to legal rights to purchase and consume alcohol can prove a vital and much
needed boost to the economy as a whole.

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Introduction
In Canada, there is no federally defined age for legal alcohol purchase or consumption. Each
province and territory is free to set its own drinking age. The legal age for purchase is: 19 years
of age in some provinces (BC, NB, NF, NW, NS, NU, ON, PEI, SK, and YT) and 18 years of age
in others (AB, MB, and QC)
Are these defined age limits reasonable? Or should they be changed? Some arguments against
it have been that young people lack self-control, it would cause more people to drink and
interfere with brain development. We’d like to evaluate the reasons why we may want to lower
the age of drinking

Young people can make important decisions already

According to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) an young Canadian can join the army at 18 or
17 years old with parental consent1. Which means that the Canadian Government assumes that
you have the responsibility to make a decision to potentially die in combat as a 17 year old
member of the Canadian Army. This potential 17 year old could die for his country before being
able to drink legally.
With respect to driving, all Canadian provinces have different legal driving ages. Most provinces
have a minimum age of driving at 16 years of age with some restrictions2. That means that we
allow young people the responsibility to drive and be in control of a machine that could in the
freak occurrence of an accident kill them or others on the road, yet drinking is completely
unacceptable before 18 with no caveats.
The government and society as a whole seems to be making the assumption that young
Canadians can make decisions so serious like driving and joining the army at certain ages
where they are not able to make more mundane decisions like being able to drink legally. This
situation is perceived by many as inconsistent and unjust to young people on a fundamental
level, instead of adjusting the level of competency young people are given before they turn 18,
with common sense parental consent requirements or other reasonable conditions.

Lowering the age of drinking decreases unsafe drinking

According to the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), the health care
costs of alcohol-related harm is 3.3 billion3. A big portion of alcohol-related harm affects young
people. Compared to those who drink alcohol alone, youth and young adults who drink
caffeinated alcoholic beverages are more likely to commit or be a victim of sexual assault; ride
in a vehicle with someone driving under the influence of alcohol, or drive while under the
influence of alcohol themselves; be hurt or injured and require medical attention; and drink more
alcohol without realizing they are intoxicated because the caffeine keeps them awake longer4.
Because young people are at a vulnerable position with alcohol-related harm having a lower
legal drinking age would allow Canadian youth to be able to drink in regulated establishments
and environments that can offer more protection and oversight to vulnerable youth.

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Economists from around the world have found through research that alcohol in general has low
demand price elasticity5, which like illegal drugs means that alcohol consumption will occur
under illegal circumstances, including consuming alcohol under the legal age of drinking. Youth
drinking under the legal age put themselves at risk and may be more reluctant to contact
authorities or seek medical help promptly when they have alcohol related injuries if they have
violated the law.
Lowering the legal drinking age can provide more oversight to young people and encourage
them to seek hep when alcohol related injuries occur.

Lowering the age of dinking is good for the economy

According to Statistics Canada, Canadians spent $22.1 billion on alcohol on the year from Apr
1, 2015 to Mar 31, 20166. The 17-18 demographic being able to drink legally could bring a huge
boost to the economy in Canada. There are many industries that are influenced or complement
the alcohol industry, like the music club industry, the tourism industry, restaurants and bars.
Stimulus to those industries from Canadians and tourists alike can drive up higher revenues for
business and provincial taxes through consumption.
There are new jobs that could be generated in farming and brewing as a result of the boost in
legal demand of the product by adding a new sector of the population without prior legal access.
The government of Ontario is currently in a debt of $2312 billion this year7. It needs to find new
ways to drive up tax revenue to lower its deficits. Lowering the age of drinking can be an easy
way to boost the economy and improve the Provincial and Federal budget solvency.

Conclusion
The Canadian legal drinking age should be lowered to improve fairness and equity to our young
people as we consider the responsibility they can carry. There are safety and health policy
concerns that suggest that having a lower drinking age may protect the vulnerabilities young
people face when dealing with alcohol. The economy can also be boosted by legally welcoming
a new demographic to be able to participate in the responsibility of drinking alcohol.

Recommendation
It is our recommendation that the drinking legal age be lowered with a regulated structure
involving parental consent under a certain age (like in Army applications). There are
opportunities to implement a graduated license-like credentials that endows young people at
certain ages under 18 with alcohol access privileges based upon courses on alcohol safety and
with some restrictions that may include an accompanying adult in certain instances, to reflect a

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system similar to how the provincial governments in Canada allow young people to drive based
on certified knowledge to handle their responsibilities with alcohol.

References
1
Government of Canada: Apply now – eligibility and the application process. (2017, July 15) .
Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/caf-
jobs/application-process/apply-now.html
2
Canada’s Legal Driving Ages: Province-by-Province. (2013, July 8). Retrieved from
http://www.valuecartruckrental.com/blog/canadas-legal-driving-ages-province-by-province/
3
Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction: Alcohol. (2017, Jul 30). Retrieved from
http://www.ccsa.ca/Eng/topics/alcohol/Pages/default.aspx
4
Brache, K., Thomas, G., & Stockwell, T (2012). Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages in Canada:
Prevalence of Use, Risks and Recommended Policy Responses. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Centre on
Substance Abuse.
5
Euromonitor International: Price Elasticities in Alcoholic Drinks (2014, August 6). Retrieved
from http://blog.euromonitor.com/2014/08/price-elasticities-in-alcoholic-drinks.html
6
Statistics Canada: Control and sale of alcoholic beverages, year ending March 31, 2016 (2017,
May 2). Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/170502/dq170502a-eng.htm
7
Jones, Allison (2017, April 27). Ontario Budget 2017: Debt rises to $312B as province balances
budget. Retrieved from http://globalnews.ca/news/3410101/ontario-budget-2017-debt/

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Appendix - A
Chart 1 - Proportion of sales (in dollars) of alcoholic beverages, by category

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Appendix - B
Chart 2 - Proportion of sales (in volume) of alcoholic beverages, by category

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