The majority of U.S. states have laws that allow people under 21 years of age to legally consume alcohol. Here's everything you need to know about this surprising legislation., In the United States, the legal drinking age is currently 21, except in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where it is 18. [2] To curb excessive alcohol consumption by younger people, instead of raising the drinking age, other countries have raised the prices of alcohol beverages and encouraged the general public to drink less., The legal drinking age in the United States is universally set at 21, but the plethora of exceptions across different states highlights a complex regulatory environment shaped by cultural, religious, and familial considerations., After Prohibition, nearly all states adopted a minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) of 21. Between 1970 and 1975, however, 29 states lowered the MLDA to 18, 19, or 20, largely in response to the change in the voting age., Learn why the legal drinking age was changed from 18 to 21, as well as myths and facts about underage drinking., .