MYTH: The law only makes youth want to drink because it’s a “forbidden fruit.”

When the “forbidden fruit” is no longer forbidden, youth simply drink more. In states where the drinking age was 18, young people drank more than in states where the minimum drinking age was 21. They continued to drink more as adults in their early 20s.4

References
4. Maisto, S.A., & Rachal, J.V. (1980). Indications of the relationship between adolescent drinking practices, related behaviors, and drinking age law: An examination of data from a national sample. In H. Wechsler (Ed.), Minimum drinking age laws: An evaluation (pp.
155-176). Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath & Co. Read more