Calls for Ireland's drinking age to be reduced to 16
Should the drinking age be lowered?
There have been calls for the drinking age to be reduced in Ireland.
Cllr Shane O'Callaghan believes that reducing Ireland's drinking age will help reduce the number of teens who are abusing alcohol.
However, many parents feel like lowering the legal drinking age will only encourage teens to drink even more.
The current drinking age in Ireland is 18, but Cllr O'Callaghan believes it should be 16.
Speaking to Newstalk, he claimed lowering the age to 16 is a good idea.
"Underage drinking is happening on an absolutely massive scale anyway," he pointed out.
He told Newstalk that underage drinking has been a problem for decades.
"If the majority of 16 and 17-year-olds complied with the existing law then there’d be no issue and we wouldn’t be having this conversation."
He suggested that binge drinking will decrease if teenagers can drink in a controlled environment.
Cllr O'Callaghan asked parents if they would prefer if their children were drinking in a controlled environment or in a park.
"Would you prefer them to go to their friend’s house or the pub - both of which are controlled environments - and have a couple of beers in a responsible way or would you prefer for them to go to a field or a park or a wood and drink naggins of vodka till they’re out of their mind?”
What do you think?
Do you agree with Cllr O'Callaghan or is the drinking age fine as it is?
