Raising the drinking age from 18 to 21—which happened under the Reagan administration—was a stupid, stupid idea.

The rule is nonsense from a civics 'n' ethics perspective. (Eighteen-year-olds are full-grown, adult citizens who can vote, drive, gamble, serve in the military, and serve full-grown, adult jail sentences for their crimes. But they can't drink?)

It's also counterproductive, a soft prohibition for people under 21 with all the bad behavior that comes with prohibitions—clandestine use, binging, violence, etc.

And now the man largely responsible for raising the drinking age, Dr. Morris Chafetz, says he's sorry:

One of the people who was instrumental in pushing for laws to increase the legal drinking age to 21 now calls his actions "the single most regrettable decision" of his career...

"Legal Age 21 has not worked," Chafetz said... "To be sure, drunk driving fatalities are lower now than they were in 1982. But they are lower in all age groups. And they have declined just as much in Canada, where the age is 18 or 19, as they have in the United States."

Chafetz said the law instead has resulted in "collateral, off-road damage" such as binge drinking that occurs in underage youth and crimes like date rape, assaults and property damage.

Once again: Prohibitions don't work.