“Raising the minimum purchase age for alcohol to 21 throughout the country has been a successful strategy for reducing alcohol use and preventing related problems” (Levy, Miller, Cox, 1999, p. 1). According to the U.S. Department of Justice, since 1975, minimum purchase age laws have prevented more than 17,000 traffic fatalities (Levy, et al, 1999). To focus on the growing cost to society associated with underage drinking, Congress appropriated $50 million over a two-year period to the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to fund the Enforcing the Underage D

As more facts about this deadly problem surface, leaders must decide what can be done to prevent this from harming the children of America without violating the rights guaranteed them by the Constitution.

With the enactment of the 21st Amendment in 1933, the United States ended its experiment with national prohibition. This amendment gave states the primary authority for determining whether alcohol could be sold legally and, if so, how (Wagenaar & Toomey, 2002, p. 3). “In 1984, Congress enacted the National Minimum Age Law, which required that persons under the age of 21 prohibiting from purchasing alcohol,” (Wagenaar & Toomey, 2002, p. 3). “Most but not all states prohibit consumption of alcohol by minors as well as possession” (Wagenaar & Toomey, 2002, p. 3).

“Any advertising that targets underage persons for alcohol sales or consumption can be interpreted as misleading because it invites an illegal transaction” (Wagenaar, & Toomey, 2002, p. 3). “At present, 30 states have policies prohibiting false and misleading advertising,” (Wagenaar & Toomey, 2002 p. 3). According to Sandra Alters, “Sixty- seven percent opposed the use of cartoons or youth-oriented materials on alcoholic beverage packages. While 67 percent supported a ban on beer or wine

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