A Lower Drinking Age

On July 17, 1984, the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed. Contrary to what most people assume, this act did not technically require states to raise the drinking age. Instead, it threatened to remove a portion of the federal highway aid from any state which failed to raise the drinking age to twenty-one within two years. Of course the act still accomplished what lobbyists intended, that is, a legal drinking age of twenty-one, because although many legislators opposed the new law, states could not afford a cut in their federal aid. (Koroknay-Palicz). The age at which people are allowed to purchase and consume alcohol should be changed back to eighteen, because it would be better for the economy, protect public health and safety, and eighteen-year-olds are considered adults.

It’s especially important during this recession to consider how returning the legal drinking age to eighteen would benefit the economy. Police and other officials waste a copious amount of time intercepting fake identifications, searching for and breaking up underage drinking parties, etc., when they could be preventing serious crimes and real criminals. As a result, law enforcement would save money too. If law enforcement were spending less on futilely trying to prevent underage drinking, that would save the government money, and less government spending means lower taxes and less national debt. Although most eighteen- to twenty-year-olds already drink, many law-abiding young people would begin buying alcohol, so there would be greater sales. Higher demand means greater production. There would be more jobs, and eventually entirely new businesses based on the production, distribution, and sale of alcohol. More competition for these companies would be ...

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...ceptable, but it could save money, encourage responsibility, and finally grant equal rights to all adults. Thankfully, after nearly three decades of injustice, there is a strong movement to fix the drinking age. Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin are just a few of the states currently considering a lower drinking age. (Keen). Our nation is on the cusp of overcoming such prejudices as sexism, racism, and elitism, so why have we continued to retrogress when it comes to ageism?

Works Cited

Dee, Thomas, and William Evans. “Behavioral Policies and Teen Traffic Safety.” AEA Papers and Proceedings May 2001: 91-96. Print.

Keen, Judy. “States Weigh Lowering Drinking Age.” USA Today. 20 March 2008. Web. 4 March 2012.

Koroknay-Palicz, Alex. “Legislative Analysis of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act.” National Youth Rights Association. n.d. Web. 8 March 2012.