The government supports the belief that people are not ready or responsible enough for alcohol until this age. However, various professors and researchers are discovering ways to disprove this belief. These people think that reducing the drinking age to eighteen would influence our country in a positive way. Not only do minors support this idea, but there are numerous people and organizations that support the idea of lowering the drinking age as well. The current drinking law is counterproductive in our society because it’s not effective in eliminating underage drinking, and leads to unsafe situations such as drunk driving and alcohol poison instigated deaths.
Drinking alcohol allows many people to unwind after an extensive, stressful day at work, while others conduct it just for pleasure. Unfortunately, some of these people are young adults and according to the law it is unlawful for juveniles under 21 to obtain and drink alcohol. This matter has spawned numerous disputes on whether the consumption age should be lowered to 18. Many people deem that keeping the drinking age at 21 helps save countless lives, but others argue that changing the drinking age to 18 would depreciate underage drinking. In fact, the drinking age of 21 is a very restrictive law that does not effectively prevent underage drinking in the United States, but through education about moderation and instances of handling alcohol responsibly, the drinking age can be lowered to 18 without fear.
They wouldn’t hide it from their parents or law officers, so they would be less prone to injuries or deaths. Then they would be under proper adult supervision, and at a place where they can learn how to drink responsibly (Drinking Age). According to John McCardell, the change of the drinking age to 21 has become counterproductive. McCardell told 60 Minutes that, “This law has been an abysmal failure. It hasn’t reduced or eliminated drinking.
Teens that are 18 are looked as adults –Teens at the age of 18 are “adults” they can vote, go get married, serve for the country, go to jury duties, and move out on their own. They really don’t need their parents anymore telling them what’s right and wrong in today’s society. Under the age of 21 drinking is seen as “forbidden fruit”, a “Badge of rebellion against authority” and a symbol of adulthood. Today were repeating history and making the same mistakes that occurred in the past. Prohibition did not work then and prohibition for young people under the age of 21 is not working now.(Dr.
Web. 1 Dec. 2013. . Wechsler, Henry, PhD; Nelson, Toben F, ScD. “Will Increasing Alcohol Availability By Lowering the Minimum Legal Drinking Age Decrease Drinking and Related Consequences Among Youths?” American Public Health Association 100.6 (2010): 986-92. ProQuest Discovery.
With all of the alcohol problems with underage drinking should the drinking age be lowered just to offset the problem. Studies prove that those who drink before age 21 have considerably more alcoholic problems at work, with family, and with police (Lyons 18). If we lower the age too soon without enforcing the punishments way more than we do now then we will just of lowered the age at which kids start drinking. There has to be an off set something that will stop teens from drinking illegally. Therefore it would not be smart to lower the drinking age until the punishment will match the crime.
Sure teens drink less often than adults but when they do drink they definitely drink more than adults. This practice is known as binge drinking. These harmful and unsafe activities that many teens are engaging in definitely prove the argument that the Minimum Legal Drinking Age 21 lowers the number of underage drinking wrong. If, as adults, people have the right to serve on juries and make major decisions that can influence a whole nation, then at 18 people should be able to consume alcohol without having to worry about breaking the law. Lowering the drinking age to 18 would encourage people to drink responsibly and it would reduce traffic accidents that are caused by people driving under the influence.
2014. “Pros and Cons of Lowering the Drinking Age.” healthresearchfunding.org. December 6, 2013. Web Sopher, Christopher. “How We Get Hammered, the European vs. U.S.
Fact sheet: Lowering the minimum drinking age is a bad idea. Retrieved on March 25, 2012 from, http://www.cspinet.org/booze/mlpafact.htm ProCon.org. (2011, October 24). National Institutes of Health (NIH). DrinkingAge.ProCon.org.
Just because one is considered an “adult” does not mean they posses the responsibility to drink legally. There are many rights in the United States that have a high age of initiation besides just consuming alcohol. “A person ... ... middle of paper ... ...to handle alcohol. The point of the existing law is to delay underage drinking as long as possible and, even if use begins, to reduce its regularity and amount as much as possible. However changing it back to 18 has the potential to harm a large number of people.