A number of college and university presidents and chancellors want to rethink the drinking age. According to a statement released by The Amethyst Initiative, they believe the 21 year-old drinking age is not working and, like prohibition, may be counterproductive.

A culture of dangerous, clandestine "binge-drinking"—often conducted off-campus—has developed.

Alcohol education that mandates abstinence as the only legal option has not resulted in significant constructive behavioral change among our students.

Adults under 21 are deemed capable of voting, signing contracts, serving on juries and enlisting in the military, but are told they are not mature enough to have a beer.

By choosing to use fake IDs, students make ethical compromises that erode respect for the law.

They hope to initiate a public discussion and reconsideration of the 21 drinking age by public officials. I wish them luck. The Plain Dealer reports on the initiative here.

The list of college administrators calling for reconsideration of the national drinking age is growing, but the withdrawal of two from the list of signatories gets the headline. As of now, the Amethyst Initiative list includes top administrators from over 120 colleges and universities.