Raising the legal drinking age to 21 will reduce youth alcohol and drug use and the harm it can cause, according to a Deakin University study.
The cross-national study, comparing young Australian adults with those in the United States, found fewer Americans drank alcohol, even after the age of 21, and fewer also used tobacco and illegal drugs.
Researchers said raising the legal age can serve to support other effective alcohol reduction measures such as increasing price, restricting marketing and reducing the availability of alcohol.
Read more at Deakin University