A decade or so ago they complicated the rules for when young people could start to drive.  They could drive during the day at 16 but couldn’t carry passengers until 17 and couldn’t drive at night until 17 1/2.  I opposed the new rules as to complicated.  But they worked.  Teen driving deaths are way down.

Applying the same logic to teenage drinking lets think about some complicated rules to ease teens into legal drinking slowly.  Perhaps in the same way that adjusting driving ages for new drivers has lowered the accident rate for teens perhaps this would lower the death related to teen binge drinking.

For example perhaps 18 year olds could drink low alcohol beer legally during the day and early evenings on weekends.  At 19 they could have regular beer.  Then at 21 the normal rules would apply.

It might be worth a try in a few states. and see if it has the same positive effect as the complicated driving rules.