‘Raise drinking age to 25’ – Australian doctor

  • Breaking
  • 20/09/2012

By 3 News online staff

The Australian Medical Association's president says the legal drinking age in Australia should be raised to 25.

Dr Steve Hambleton says exposure to alcohol before the human brain has finished developing – around the age of 25 – could affect a person’s addictive potential, the Herald Sun reports.

His comments have started a public debate on the drinking age across the Tasman, in the wake of a decision from New Zealand MPs to retain the legal purchase age of 18.

The decision to maintain the status quo was made after two rounds of voting and a fierce period of debate in Parliament last month.

Dr Hambleton’s comments were made this week during the AMA’s National Summit on Alcohol Marketing to Young People, an interdisciplinary conference being held in Canberra.

“We know the human brain does not stop developing at 18 or 21 - its actually 25 - so if we start digging out the evidence about when people should be exposed to alcohol it's actually 25 years of age, not 18,” he said.

Health authorities in both Australia and New Zealand have shared concerns about the binge drinking culture seen in both societies.

Dr Hambleton told the Daily Mercury that it was important for people to understand the links between drinking while young and in later life.

“A predictor of adult drinking behaviour is what you go through in your teens,” he said.

Following the vote in the New Zealand Parliament, many health groups here were disappointed that MPs didn’t opt to raise the drinking age.

Alcohol Healthwatch director Rebecca Williams told Firstline that in the three years following the lowering of the alcohol purchase age in 1999, there was an overall increase of 20 percent in alcohol related hospital admissions.

For 10 to 14 year olds she said there was an 86 percent increase in alcohol related hospital admissions.

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source: newshub archive