A powerful New Jersey politician has written to all college presidents in the state to criticize an effort backed by some of them to consider lowering the drinking age from 21, The Star-Ledger of Newark reported this morning.

In the letter, State Sen. Richard J. Codey, the Senate’s president and a former acting governor, demanded this week that the presidents submit their institutions’ alcohol policies for review by state lawmakers. Mr. Codey, a Democrat, said his inquiry was in response to the debate triggered by the Amethyst Initiative, which so far has enlisted 130 college leaders. However, only three presidents in New Jersey have signed on to the effort.

“As educators, I’m sure you understand the ill effects of drinking, both on long-term health and immediate safety,” Mr. Codey wrote. “What we cannot afford to do is turn a blind eye to the dangerous habits that have proliferated on many college campuses.” —Paul Fain