Mexico City, Mexico – Mexico's drinking age could soon be raised.

Health organizations are urging Mexican legislative leaders to propose a bill that would raise the legal drinking age from eighteen to twenty-one.

The Mexican Health Ministry says a new study shows nearly 12 percent of Mexicans suffer from alcoholism. They say the study also shows the fastest growing population is young women.

However, business owners along the international border say increasing the drinking age will have an impact on the thousands of American teens between the ages of 18 and 20 who every year flock south of the border to drink legally in Mexico during spring break. Many bars and restaurants along the border rely on these young adults for business and reports of violence in northern Mexico has already taken a bite out of tourism in some of these towns.

The plan still needs to go through political approvals.