Drinking Age Debate

680 Words2 Pages

The U.S has always had many questions about when you are old enough to drink alcohol and if the drinking age should be lowered. It is a hard decision saying what the appropriate drinking age is, because many people fight for it to be lowered but there are many fighting right back. The minimum legal drinking age of 21 has proven to save lives and reduce negative effects in people who consume alcohol legally.
Compared to other countries it has proven to be a safe drinking age. In addition to all of the positive effects of having this law set in place, there are plenty of ways parents can prevent their teenagers from consuming alcohol.The age of drinking age of 21 saves a overwhelming number of lives. Back In 1984 congress refused to give funding for highways to any state that did not comply with raising the minimum drinking age to 21. Since the drinking age was raised to 21 in 1984 there has been a twenty percent decrease in fatal

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accidents amongst young people. On July 17, 1984 President Ronald Reagan signed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. Signing this document set the national drinking age at 21 years old. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 27,000 young adults age 18-20 have been saved since increasing the minimum legal drinking age to 21 and on average 5,000 people under the age of 21 die each year because of alcohol related accidents. Out of these 5,000 kids 1,700 of them are college students, 1,600 of those killed are from alcohol related homicides, and 300 suicides.
The negative and life long effects of consuming alcohol before...

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...the drinking age should stay 21 because it has saved many lives and ensured that our family members and friends are still alive.

Works Cited
ABC News. ABC News Network. Web. 20 May 2014. .
Cohan, William, and The Opinions Expressed in This Commentary Are Solely Those of William Cohan. "Get Real, Lower Drinking Age to 19." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 22 May 2014. .
"CSPI: Fact Sheet -- Age-21 -- Facts." CSPI: Fact Sheet -- Age-21 -- Facts. Web. 22 May 2014. .
"Guardian Liberty Voice." Guardian Liberty Voice. Web. 20 May 2014. .
"A Spirited Debate On A Lower Drinking Age." CBSNews. CBS Interactive. Web. 22 May 2014. .

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Drinking Age Debate