More than 100 fellow college and university presidents have stirred a national debate on drinking requiring a correction of a 24-year-old law, which prohibits drinking under the age of 21. More exactly, they want to lower the age when drinking is legal to the age of 18.

“It’s time to rethink the drinking age. 21 is not working,” they said on a petitioned called the Amethyst Initiative, named after the gemstone that ancient Greeks believed warded off drunkenness.

“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," the petition said.

One of their motifs was that not allowing college students to have a bottle of beer when they most desire encourages binge drinking which could lead to far more incidents than if allowed, or would prevent teenagers from seeking help in an emergency case.

Those signing the petition include William Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Marylan, William Brody, president of Johns Hopkins, CD Mote Jr. of the University of Maryland and the presidents of Washington and Lee, Sweet Briar, Towson, Randolph-Macon, Duke, Tufts, Dartmouth, and others.

However, there were many people questioning such a petition given the high number of car accidents caused by drinking. Moreover, a survey released yesterday by Nationwide Insurance, which is hosting a symposium on binge drinking in Washington in November with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, found that 75 percent of adults said they support tougher enforcement of existing drinking laws.

According to the federal National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, college drinking contributes to about 1,700 student deaths, 599,000 injuries and 97,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape annually.

“Far more teens die in alcohol-related incidents that [in those caused by] all the other illicit drugs combined. Lowering the drinking age to 18 will only make the situation worse,” Del. William A. Bronrott (D-Montgomery), co-founder of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program, said.