Problem:
A person should be able to drink legally at the age of eighteen. The law that states that it is legal for a person to drink at the age of twenty-one should be changed so that an eighteen-year-old would be allowed to drink alcohol legally. At 18, you are now an adult and you are expected to act that way. Legally you can vote, get married, buy a lottery ticket, serve in the military and be tried as an adult in the United States court system. These are very important responsibilities that are yours to take care of when you become an adult. “Good grief…let them [also] take the responsibility for the consumption of an adult beverage” (Conway 2000).
Solutions:
In order to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18, I would:
1) Find laws in other states and countries as examples.
We should look to the European countries as an example to solve our problems in the United States. “The Europeans teach their children to respect [alcohol] from an early age” (Conway 2000). Theses countries do not have the minimum age of consumption at 21 and this has been proven to make a difference.
There is less underage drinking because drinking is part of their culture and lifestyle. It starts in the household with their family and they are taught to drink smart and socially. Social drinking is acceptable; it is a time to have fun while still being in control.
New Zealand changed their legal age to 18 in 1989. The slogan “You’re not just a teen when you’re 18” shows that the New Zealand government is taking the change very seriously and so should the men and women that are of the legal age. Maybe the United States should look around the world to try and solve our own problems. “Isn’t it ironic that the United States has the highest minimum drinking age and for some strange reason the largest problem with underage consumption” (Toomey & Rosenfeld, 1996)? This statement in itself should be one very good point when considering the change of the legal age to 18.
2) Alcohol Consumption among minors:
Some might look at this report and argue that at least the amount of alcohol consumption is decreasing among young people since the drinking age has been increased, but what most don’t know is that this has actually been occurring since about 1980. This was long before the states were required to raise the drinking age.
According to the SSDP the reason that the drinking age is what its is all around the country right now is because the states were forced into it by the government, The government cut state highway founding by 10% to any state that didn 't play ball. This according to the students took away any chances of state coming up with better methods of preventing alcohol abuse among the younger kids. “campaigns/lowering-drinking-age http:ssdp.org”
In the United States of America the drinking age is 21 which was instituted with the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed on July 17, 1984. Before 1984 the national drinking age was 18. This is the age when U.S citizens are considered legal adults at the age of eighteen I could hypothetically go out vote, get married, join the army and buy a lottery ticket all in one day. On this same day I could also get caught driving while intoxicated, and then be arrested and tried as an adult in the court of
For decades, certain people have been contemplating on how to go about the issue of underage drinking; people of the government, parents, and other individuals concerned in global affairs. The problem is, the issue of underage drinking and the nationwide ineffectiveness of the drinking age law of twenty-one isn't debated and discussed as much and as aggressively as it should be. And the main components of discussion ought to be the matter of binge drinking among teenagers and college students, drinking issues and statistics in foreign countries, and finally, possible solutions for this problem. The main point is that the states of our country can only attempt to enforce the law rather than try approaching the problem in any other way. So for that reason, states should be allowed to figure out and experiment on possible ways to solve this matter on their own without government interference.
According to Andrew Herman, “Each year, 14,000 die from drinking too much. 600,000 are victims of alcohol related physical assault and 17,000 are a result of drunken driving deaths, many being innocent bystanders” (470). These massive numbers bring about an important realization: alcohol is a huge issue in America today. Although the problem is evident in Americans of all ages, the biggest issue is present in young adults and teens. In fact, teens begin to feel the effects of alcohol twice as fast as adults and are more likely to participate in “binge-drinking” (Sullivan 473). The problem is evident, but the solution may be simple. Although opponents argue lowering the drinking age could make alcohol available to some teens not mature enough to handle it, lowering the drinking age actually teaches responsibility and safety in young adults, maintains consistency in age laws, and diminishes temptation.
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).
As society progresses more and more it seems as though there is one aspect of American culture that is not keeping up with the times- the minimum legal drinking age. Whilst the rest of the world shares a similar view on this issue, with 96% of other countries holding a drinking age of less than 21, the American legal system seems steadfast in its resolve to keep it due to a manner of precautionary reasons. Yet these reasons are often lacking substance and validity, hence it seems that the Land of Opportunity needs to break the shackles of feigned abstinence and embrace a more practical and realistic criterion-such as the widespread norm of 18 years old.
Bob Marley once said, “Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction.” This is the case when it comes to teens and alcohol. In America, the National Minimum Legal Drinking Age is a topic of great debate and controversy. Many people argue that the age restriction provides a safe environment for all citizens; whereas others disagree that the law creates an untrustworthy aura among teens. If the minimum legal drinking age were to be lowered, most people would be affected by it, whether it be by an increase in drunk-driving or a rise in crimes. Although teens are legally considered adults by the age of eighteen and the minimum legal drinking age prompts underage teens to exhibit risky behavior, the age restriction should not be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen because young teens would have easier access to alcohol, the minimum legal drinking age has decreased alcohol-related problems, and alcohol can cause damage to underage drinkers.
In the 1960s, the drinking age was set as 21, to match the voting age. However, around the time of the Vietnam War, the public began to argue that if an 18-year-old was old enough to fight and die for his country, then he should be able to vote as well. As a result, the voting age was lowered to 18. Between 1970 and 1976, 29 states lowered their legal drinking age as well. In the words of Carla Main, author of Bulldozed and various other published works concerning law and society, the results were “catastrophic,” as “[h]ighway deaths among teenagers and young adults skyrocketed” (Main 33). Many states began raising the legal drinking age up again. In 1984, under the supervision of Ronald ...
Wechsler, Henry, and Toben F. Nelson. "Will Increasing Alcohol Availability By Lowering the Minimum Legal Drinking Age Decrease Drinking and Related Consequences Among Youths?." American Journal of Public Health 100.6 (2010): 986-992. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.
Briar Clay Mrs. Bauch 05-16-16 Persuasive Speech Lowering the Drinking Age to 18 How many of you would like the chance to purchase an alcoholic beverage by the time you turn 18? Today I am going to go over some pros and cons of lowering the drinking age to 18. This is something I believe should be done in Iowa, or even the whole nation. Upon researching this topic I learned that ever since the drinking age was increased to 21 years of age more people have died from drug overdose. Another fact about drug overdose is that it has increased 102% since the increase in the drinking age.
The drinking age of twenty-one is a paradox of age eighteen as the age of consent. “The age of consent is defined to be the age at which the person becomes able to make responsible decisions” (“Why the US Drinking Age Should Be Lowered to 18”). The government needs to start genuinely treating eighteen year-olds like the adults the U.S. constitution says they are (Barnes). The United States entrusts eighteen year-old citizens with ...
Some laws even make it easier for teens to drink, like in some states if a parent purchases the alcohol it is fine for the teen to drink. That law is abused though since one parent will buy beer for a complete party and not just for their teen. There have been some cases where the cops have cracked down on this problem but not enough. Teens are not seeing underage drinking as something wrong whether it be because they think it will help them fit in or to cover up feelings of sadness or hatred. When a teen sees the "cool" kids drink they want to join in so that they ...
Unsupervised, underage drinking has become an epidemic throughout the world, but in the Americas more than anywhere else. Even the president’s 19-year-old daughter has been arrested for underage drinking. America has the highest legal drinking age in the world. In fact, only four countries in the world have a legalized drinking age of 18. When we turn 18 in America we are supposed to be adults, but then what is the 21 age mark it is like we get an adult trial version for three years without some freedom but with all the consequences.
Finally, countries such as Italy, China, and Greece are some of the countries where the legal drinking age is lower and they seem to have fewer alcohol related problems. Current law in terms of legal drinking age has caused more alcohol related deaths than there has ever been.
Despite the problems that would arise, many people are beginning to feel that the drinking age should be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen. Studies have been made; however, no hard evidence suggesting lowering the minimum drinking age would help have surfaced. Although there are countless studies of how alcohol has many harmful effects on teenagers, there is a great deal of negative criticism about what if the drinking age is lowered. Some would say the morally right decision is to not allow teens the chance to hurt themselves. Everyone is entitled to having his or her own opinions and beliefs. However, the overall health of the youth of our country seems a little more important than some personal belief. The drinking age should not be lowered due to the fact drunk driving, juvenile delinquency, and alcohol-related medical issues related to teens will increase.