In Conclusion

The issue of youth and alcohol involves ideologies of youths as inferior to adults and irresponsible. As a result, the legal drinking age in Ontario remains at 19 years of age, one year more than the age of majority. Our research has found that despite the many efforts to control youth alcohol consumption, the legal drinking age does not provide significant control over the ability of youth to obtain alcohol.

It is commonly believed that by having a drinking age of 19 years, multiple forms of alcohol-related harm will be reduced in this province. However, our research has also shown that youth are over-emphasized in discussions of alcohol-related harm thus reinforcing the oppressive views of youth in this society. We believe that the current drinking age is a “band-aid” method of controlling alcohol-related behaviours.

Our focus for this social policy turned to a discussion of alternatives approaches to the legal drinking age of 19. We proposed that the legal drinking age be lowered to 18 years of age in Ontario. The purpose of this is not to allow more alcohol access to youth. Rather, it is to provide youth with the opportunity to stand up against the oppressive ideologies that discriminate against them and keep them marginalized from adult culture. Also, we will use feedback to determine if 18 is reported by youth as the desired legal drinking age and make adjustments to our efforts based on their voices.

To accomplish such policy alterations, we will begin by addressing the views and opinions that maintain these oppressive ideologies of youth. Our immediate aim is not to change the legislation but to provide a means to dispel the inaccurate and discriminate constructions of youth while also allowing for participatory action of youth themselves. Through public information sessions, a youth-driven media project, and use of the local media and internet, we will attempt to provide a social space in which new, accurate constructions of youth can be developed. This will guide us toward our future goal of creating a legal drinking age that is driven by youth themselves thus empowering them as agents in their own individual, social, and political lives.