Abstract: | This research is based on a comparison of the effects of a 21-minimum-age drinking law. Using two self-report samples of college students, one from a state where the minimum drinking age is 21 (N= 249) and another from a state where the minimum drinking age is 18 (N= 330), drinking behavior patterns are compared in terms of frequency, quantity, and location of consumption. The data suggest that the 21-minimum-age drinking law deters drinking in controlled locations while having no significant deterring effect in uncontrolled locations. Implications of the findings are provided. |