Should Legal Drinking Age in the USA be Lowered?

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Legal Adulthood

Today, the legal drinking age in the United States has been set at 21. But what should be the legal drinking age in the United States is still become one of the most ongoing and controversial debate that we will find in the United States. The minimum drinking age continues to stir controversy specifically because age 18 is viewed as an important age for Americans. Once an individual turns to 18, he or she is now considered as a legal adult. As legal adult, individual are granted the rights and responsibilities of adulthood, such as vote in elections, get married, driving, buy cigarettes, own firearms, sign contracts, serve jury duty, enlist in military, and even able to go to club to party. But even though individual is given all of those rights and responsibilities, individuals with age between 18 to 20 years olds are denied the right to buy and consume alcohol beverages. So, when the legal drinking age is set at 21, it will make individuals with age between 18 to 20 years olds or college students viewed alcohol as a symbol of adulthood and maturity.

According to the Foundation For a Drug-Free World, Alcohol beverages comes from “Ethyl alcohol (ethanol), the only alcohol used in beverages, is produced by the fermentation of grains and fruits. Fermenting is a chemical process whereby yeast acts upon certain ingredients in the food, creating alcohol”(http://www.drugfreeworld.org). Alcohol beverages then divided into three categories: beers, wines, and spirits or liquors. And with information from the Office of Alcohol and Drug Education, “Beers typically contains 0.05% - 12% alcohol, wines contains 9% - 20% alcohol, and spirits or liquors contains 15% - 50% or more alcohol”(http://oade.nd.edu).

Different co...

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... when they reach status as legal adults do not represents their adulthood and maturity, but able to take responsibilities and make decisions on alcohol consumption in a moderate and responsible manner is the evidence of adulthood and maturity on them.

Works Cited

"College Drinking." http://www.niaaa.nih.gov. National Institute on Alcohol abuse and Alcoholism. May 7 2014. Web.

"Drink Equivalencies." Office of Alcohol and Drug Education. http://www.oade.nd.edu. University of Notre Dame. 2008. May 7 2014. Web.

"The Debate on Lowering the Drinking Age." 60 Minutes CBSNews. http://www.cbsnews.com. CBS. 2009. May 7 2014. Web.

"What Is Alcohol?." http://www.drugfreeworld.org. Foundation For A Drug-Free World. 2006. May 7 2014. Web.

"What Is Moderation?." http://www.drinkingandyou.com. AIM-Alcohol In Moderation. 2002. May 7 2014. Web.

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