The presidents of such prominent universities as Duke, Tufts, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, Syracuse, Maryland and Ohio say that abstinence is not the answer for younger drinkers. They believe that the time has come to rethink our drinking laws. They had hoped for an open debate, but have met with sharp public criticism.

What the Critics Are Saying

Critics abound from the ranks of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the American Medical Association, the National Highway Safety Board and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

"Why would you take the one thing that has been tried in the last 30 years that has been shown to be most successful and throw that out the window and say, 'I have a better idea?' said Alexander C. Wagenaar, an epidemiologist at the College of Medicine at the University of Florida in an August 21, 2008 "New York Times" article entitled "2 Withdraw From Petition to Rethink Drinking Age."