Drinking age

I endorse entirely Godfrey Leone Ganado's sentiments (February 7) regarding the Cabinet's decision to back down on raising the legal drinking age to 18, notwithstanding genuine efforts by those in high office who hold social solidarity at heart, strong...

I endorse entirely Godfrey Leone Ganado's sentiments (February 7) regarding the Cabinet's decision to back down on raising the legal drinking age to 18, notwithstanding genuine efforts by those in high office who hold social solidarity at heart, strong public opinion in this regard as well as the advice of its own national agency to this effect.

I will reiterate what I stated in my letter of January 19 that Minister Dolores Cristina's proposal to raise the legal age to 18 will not solve our serious binge drinking problem but it will go a long way in:

¤ protecting the more vulnerable in our society - children and youngsters genetically disposed to alcohol addiction;

¤ detering children from experimenting with a mind-altering drug at a tender age, thereby harming their development;

¤ educating parents on the long-term consequences of habitual drinking in the home thereby fostering positive nurturing of their children;

¤ curbing the damage being done to the social fibre of generations to come by alcohol abuse.

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