The Amethyst Initiative is a movement intended to spark debate about the minimum drinking age in the United States. College presidents from about 100 U.S. universities signed a petition encouraging lawmakers to revisit the federal highway law that denies money to any state with a legal drinking age lower than 21.CNN: College chiefs urge new debate on drinking age (August 18, 2008)
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Fast Facts
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Current age to drink legally
21
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Word "amethyst" comes from ancient Greek words meaning "not" (a-) and "intoxicated" (methustos)Amethyst Initiative: About
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Amethyst was believed to ward off drunkennessAmethyst Initiative: About
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Opposed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving; group says that lowering the drinking age would lead to more fatal car crashesCNN: College chiefs urge new debate on drinking age (August 18, 2008)
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Laws setting drinking age at 21 have been shown to decrease traffic deaths involving drivers ages 18 to 20 by 13 percentNewsday: College presidents want drinking age lowered to 18 (August 19, 2008)
