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Why should the legal drinking be 18
The drinking age should be 21
Arguments for and against legal drinking age
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Recommended: Why should the legal drinking be 18
Have you ever been discriminated against for your own good? Well I and millions of Americans adults that are under the age of 21 have been. There was a bill that was passed by congress called The National Drinking Age Act of 1984. This bullied any state that does not prohibit and single out adults under the age of 21 from buying or possessing alcoholic beverages. In spite of this, many people believe that it is justified because “child’s brain is very sensitive to alcohol” In other words, it is ok to discriminate against a particular group if it is for their own good, instead of it being that discriminating for any reason is wrong. Thus, it is the reason the legal drinking age should be 18 instead of 21 due to the fact that 18 year olds can get married, vote and go to war.
Generally, you’d think that if it’s possible for someone to make a life altering decision such as getting married, that they could at the very least be able to take a sip of wine on their own wedding day. In the light of “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that MLDA (minimum legal drinking age) 21 decreased the number of fatal traffic accident for 18 to 20 year olds by 13% and saved…27,052 lives from 1975-2008” it is easy to see that the bill saved lives, on the contrary, it also caused many adult high school seniors under the age of 21 to binge drink in concealed quarter which resulted alcohol poison and their deaths. Additionally, many young adults immediately after their high school graduation, thinking that they are with their soul mate, have a wedding and get married. Instead of having the government stepping in and saying no, you got your whole life ahead of you, it instead just ask if they are 18 which if they are their consider...
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Lowering the legal drinking age would create problems such as infringing on the mental and physical development of the young drinker. As a respected author, Matt Nagin puts it, “The late teens and early twenties are formative years where character building, leadership in the community, and scholastic excellence should be emphasized. Alcohol detracts from all of these.” In other words, Nagin believes that the teen years are an imperative time of growth in a person’s life. Scientists have proven that the brain is not fully developed until the age of twenty five. If Nagin’s argument is correct, and I believe it is, then people should understand that scientists have proven the negative affects that alcohol has on the development of the brain. Alcohol has the power to kill brain cells and damage growth hormones. By making alcohol legally accessible to an eighteen year old, we are literally poisoning his or her brain.
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There has been an ongoing controversy in the United States on whether the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen like most of the world or if it should stay at twenty-one. Underage drinking has been a major controversial issue for years, yet why is it not under control? Teenagers are continuing to buy alcohol with fake identification cards, drink, get into bars, and drink illegally. As a teen I have proof that these things are going on not only in college but in high school as well. There are a lot of factors that come together to why the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen; the most obvious reason is too many people are drinking before they are twenty-one. Liquor stores, bars, and clubs all want to make money and if they can get away with selling to underage teens then they will. A study done by the Academic Search Premier agrees that, ?By now it is obvious that the law has not succeeded in preventing the under-21 group from drinking? (Michael Smith 1).
Since this country was born it has been raised on alcohol, even the prohibition couldn 't stop the Americans from doing what they love to do. But back then they were lenient on the age to consume alcohol. But in 1980’s Ronald Reagan passed the Drinking Age Act which permanently raised the drinking age to twenty-one through out the nation. Which people asked themselves is this right? When at eighteen you 're legally allowed to be on a official jury, vote for the next president and fight for your country. So lowering the drinking age to 18 would make sense.
“By lowering the minimum drinking age to 21. It would give high schoolers and even middle schoolers easier access to alcohol”. As said in drinking age ProCons.org. Newly legal drinking often purchase alcohol for their underage peers, creating a trickle-down effect. surveys show that the common source of alcohol among 18-21 year olds is there 21-24 year old peers. Believing that their is a purchase to alcohol for their underage peers meaning even if you ...
For example, a twenty-year old, wounded soldier from Iraq can vote, get married, and be tried as an adult, but he can’t even buy a drink! Apparently, we value the condition of his social life more than life itself. Hundreds, if not thousands, of soldiers have experienced the same scenario. This is nothing new, there is a long history of alcoholism. The first establishment of a national drinking age actually started before prohibition.
Legal drinking age varies by many countries. In U.S.A, There has been a lot of debate when it comes to the legal drinking age here in US. When it comes to law. There is always an opinion, some are for it and some are against. When it comes to the legal drinking age being 21 we are totally against it. Many people still say the government should prohibit using alcoholic drinks at the age of 18. Legal adults deserve to be treated as such it is time the arbitrary drinking age of 21 Was lowered to 18, because there is no evidence that the National Minimum Drinking Age Act is effective or protects the people it is intended to protect . The Notional Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed in 1984 in an attempt to decrease the number of drunk driving related accidents. The act threatens to decrease a state’s budget for high way construction and maintenance if it sets its drinking age under 21. According to Cuccoli , “ Keeping the drinking age at such a low age is leading to more cases of binge drinking,” (Cuccoli). Mothers against drunk driving reports that the number of alcohol related fatalities involving a vehicle decreased from 26, 173 to 16, 885 between 1982 and 2005.
Web. The Web. The Web. 21 Feb. 2014. Buckman, Adam. A.S. & Co.
Another argument often used by those opposing lowering the legal drinking age brings up the fact that the brain doesn’t completely develop until the age of 20 to 25. If this is the case than why do we let 18 year olds vote and sign contracts. If they are viewed as adults in the eyes of the law then why is it we don’t treat them like they are adults. Another major issue brought up for young adults is that it is legal for 18 year olds to purchase and use cigarettes and other tobacco products, but it is illegal for 18 to drink alcohol. Congress is not being consistent with these laws, restricting young adults to their new found freedoms. An even larger argument how is a man old enough to enlist in the military and fight for our so called freedoms and liberties when 18, 19, and 20 year olds aren’t even old enough to have the privilege of a drink. “If you get shot at, you can have a shot.” Says Alaska State Representative, Bob Lynn. Lynn also served as a veteran in vietnam and tried to establish a drinking age for 18 year olds that are currently active members of the military. I believe that if a man is old enough to go to war and perhaps even have to kill someone than it is unreasonable and unjust not to let those men enjoy a cold one. These young men and women are considered adults and it is wrong not to treat them with the respect and responsibility they deserve as adults.
The Gaurdian. N.p., 7 Feb. 2014. Web. The Web. The Web.