In summary, we find significant declines in the relative risk for binge drinking among 12–20 year old males, but among females, the trend toward lower rates of binge drinking among youth is countered by rising prevalence for women. Additionally, college men have experienced no reductions in binge drinking, while binge drinking among college women has been on the rise. These results suggest that binge-drinking problems among college students would best be addressed by interventions specific to the campus environment, and by interventions targeted toward women, and not by presuming the MLDA or other laws have been ineffective. Relaxation of the uniform MLDA would risk undoing the progress that has been made in reducing binge-drinking behavior among youth over the past three decades.
