Though the minimum drinking age in the U.S. is 21, many states have exceptions allowing parents to serve alcohol to their own children at home. Some states also allow minors to drink for religious, educational or medicinal purposes.
But the laws are complicated and filled with contradictions. For example, in New Hampshire, it is legal for a minor to consume alcohol without intoxication, but it is illegal to provide a child with alcohol.
“The law is more complex than most people realize in this area,” says Michael Hilton of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, which is part of the National Institute of Health.
More detailed state-by-state information on underage alcohol policy can be found at the Institute-sponsored Web site: APIS, the Alcohol Policy Information System, at http://www.alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov/
