when did new jersey change the drinking age to 21
Alcohol laws of New Jersey New Jersey's drinking age was lowered to 18 in 1973 as part of a broader legal change which reduced New Jersey's age of majority from 21 to 18.[146][147] Much of the impetus for lowering the drinking age to 18 was to grant returning Vietnam veterans the right to purchase alcohol.[148] Possibly because of concerns about 18-year-old high school students being able to legally purchase liquor, and then illegally consume it school,[149] the state raised the drinking age to 19 in 1980.[150][151] Citing statistics that indicated an increase in car deaths among drivers under 21,[148] the drinking age was raised back to 21 in 1983.[151][152] At the same time, the penalties for underage drinking were increased to include a mandatory driver's license suspension.[152] In 1985, the state made it illegal for an adult to give alcohol to a person under 21, with exception for religious services and parents serving alcohol to their own children at home or in a private area.[153][154]