Legal drinking age
Posted on:1/9/2006
| Legal drinking age is the minimum age one must be to drink alcohol. In most countries this is 16 or 18, but there are notable exceptions such as China, which has no minimum drinking age and the United States, where the minimum drinking age is 21. |
Some countries distinguish between drinks with fairly low alcohol-content (such as beer and wine) and stronger spirit-based drinks. Beer is sold in vending machines in Taiwan which has a limit of 18. Many countries have banned alcohol advertising aimed at the youth market.
Laws surrounding alcohol vary, but generally, minors are not allowed inside of drinking establishments and are not allowed to purchase alcohol. In the United Kingdom, children may enter pubs in the company of an adult until 9 PM and 14-year-olds may enter pubs unaccompanied if they order a meal. Some jurisdictions allow minors to drink in private, in some cases requiring parental permission; others do not.