If MLDA laws were working primarily through age at initiation, then we might also expect that the association between MLDA exposure and later outcome would be stronger among the ‘compliant’ respondents whose (self-reported) drinking initiation conformed to the law. However, in supplementary analyses (not shown) the MLDA effect estimates were nearly identical among respondents who had already started to drink regularly before the age 16 - and among those who had not yet started to drink by age 16. There were also no significant additive or multiplicative interactions between exposure status and gender, age at assessment, ethnicity, survey, early or later birth cohort, or parental history of alcohol problems.
