A New Jersey lawmaker introduced legislation that would lower the drinking age in the Garden State from 21 to 18, Politico New Jersey reported.



Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll (R-Morris) argued that if New Jerseyans are allowed to serve in the military at age 18, they should be allowed to have a drink.



"If you're old enough to hoist an M4 and shoot a terrorist, you're old enough to hoist a beer," Carroll told NJ Advance Media.

The legislation is unlikely to pass because, under federal law, any state that lowers the drinking will lose millions of dollars in federal highway funds.

Carroll compared the federal government’s use of the purse strings to “extortion,” NJ.com reported.

"I understand the motivation," he added. "But you have to have a line drawn somewhere. The line should be drawn at...you're mature enough to drink," he said.