Josh Hutcherson Says U.S. Drinking Age Should Be Lowered To 18 (VIDEO)

'Hunger Games' Star Says Drinking Age Should Be Lowered To 18

We're sure you were just dying to know what "The Hunger Games" star Josh Hutcherson's thoughts are on the legal drinking age in the United States.

Hutcherson's 19-year-old "Hunger Games" co-star Alexander Ludwig prompted an investigation by the California Dept. of Alcoholic Beverage Control into Hollywood bar the Sayers Club, after the underage actor was spotted leaving the 21+ hot spot on Tuesday night.

Naturally, when TMZ spotted Hutcherson, also 19, leaving an LA restaurant last night, they wanted to know his opinion on the legal drinking age.

"I think the age to go to war is 18, so I think the drinking age should be 18 as well," he told the website as he was trying to find a taxi.

It's no secret that Hollywood's underage stars (like many American teenagers) drink, and it's no secret that Hollywood hot spots regularly open their doors to them -- just ask Drew Barrymore, who began life on the party circuit at age 10. Or recall Lindsay Lohan, who had been spotted at 21+ clubs since the age of 17. In 2007, the then-20-year-old's arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence, after she crashed her Mercedes convertible, sparked a similar investigation from the California Alcohol Beverage Control Board, but little to nothing has ever changed.

Hollywood nightclub owners are welcoming underage celebrities with seemingly open arms. Some clubs are willing to risk being caught serving underage stars if they bring A-list talent and A-list publicity to the clubs, LA City Councilman Eric Garcetti, told the Los Angeles Times in 2007.

"To make a club profitable, they have to be celebrity driven," he said. "People are willing to bend over backward to please celebrities."

It's not just Hollywood hot spots that bend the rules for young celebrities -- squeaky clean stars Justin Bieber, 18, and Selena Gomez, 19, were reported to have recently left a Florida sports bar looking intoxicated (they appeared the same way at Bieber's 18th birthday party in March).

Do you agree with Josh Hutcherson and is it OK that Hollywood nightclubs disregard the legal drinking age for underage stars? Let us know in the comments and take our poll:

Check out these former teen stars who found themselves in hot water with the law:

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