Why do people only want to change the drinking age from 21 to 18, when there are other activities that have limit of age such as marriage at 18, driving at 16 and 35 to be a president? Alcohol plays a major role in today society, which becomes a controversial issue among teens. Alcohol is a mind-altering chemical that is potentially more dangerous than any other drug and can be very destructive. For past few years, many people are trying to lower the drinking age without knowing the negative effects of alcohol and how lowering drinking age would harm our communities. Underage drinking is a serious problem for teenagers in the United States.
1970 to 1976, 30 states lowered their drinking age to 18 because of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment. This amendment granted 18-20 year olds the right to vote and also during that time the draft of Vietnam War was enacted for 18 year olds. If you can fight for your country you should be able to pick whom you are fighting for. The same idea was in place for the drinking age, if you could die for your country, you should be able to drink a beer. Years after the drinking age was lowered, studies started to claim that the states that enacted a lower drinking age had a rise in fatal car crashes for people in the age group 18-20.
Since the turn of the new century, researchers and doctors studied carefully the effects of drinking alcohol among different age classes. The category that even continuing as an important subject to discuss is the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) from 18 to 21. The minimum legal drinking age in the United States is 21. After the cancelation of the alcohol prohibition on December, 5, 1933 by the 21st amendment, each state sat their Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21, but during the Vietnam War the situation change and it required 16 years old young people to go to the war as an adult. By July, 1, 1970 thirty states minimize their MLDA to 18.
“It saves lives by preventing alcohol-related traffic fatalities among 18-20-year-olds and the rest of the population” (Kindelberger, 2005). Although this may be partly true, it is obvious that this law does not keep many young people safe. It is almost impossible to stop minors from getting together at a house and drinking. If eighteen-year old’s were allowed to drink, they would not have to go to extreme measures and get involved in reckless behavior to achieve their alcohol desires. John McCardell (retired president of Middlebury College in VA) proposes a compromise to the drinking age.
The word “adult” comes with the title of being a grown up. The drinking age should be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen because at age eighteen you are legally an adult. Many believe that at age twenty-one we are far more mature and can handle our alcohol, but our tolerance is not built up yet... ... middle of paper ... ...cts support my argument that it should be lowered to eighteen. Allow these young adults to do as they choose. If they want to consume alcohol or purchase it, the law should allow them to.
In other countries around the world a person under the age of 21 can drink alcohol, while some countries don't even have an age limit, but in America a person has to be 21 to purchase alcohol. At the age of 18 a person could go to was for their country, could vote, buy cigarettes, but they cannot buy alcohol. One of the main causes of the drinking age being set to 21 was teenagers were getting into car accidents after getting drunk. By no means should driving under the influence should be legal. While, there should be more government programs to educate and prevent people from driving intoxicated.
A political problem that has been argued over since prohibition is the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA). This is a controversial subject because many believe that the legal drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18 years old. “In the 1970’s the 26th amendment was passed which lowered the legal voting age, this caused 30 US states to lower their MLDA to 18, 19, or 20 which left 14 states with a MLDA of 21 by 1982” (Minimal Legal Drinking Age, 1). But reports later showed an increase in teenage car accidents in states with a lower MLDA; these states soon changed the MLDA back to 21. One of the biggest pros would be that the age of 18 is the age of adulthood.
Although one may not have access to alcohol at a bar, but a student may be drinking at a party or may just have an older friend buy their alcohol. Studies have shown that college students who can legally purchase alcohol drink less than those who can't. This just makes it more exciting for one who is underage to drink because it is forbidden. Alcohol consumption does not appear to pose the monumental concern in other... ... middle of paper ... ...rage students view its consumption with a "forbidden fruit" mentality that almost always end in excess (Jones 21). Lowering the minimum age back to 18 would require a significant shift in this country, but it is a shift that is crucial to the alcohol problem many college students and young adults face.
Fell (4) also said “Making it illegal to drink until twenty-one just increases the desire for the ‘forbidden fruit. When teens turn twenty-one, they’ll drink even more.” He also put forward a question, “Don’t experiences in other countries show that there are fewer alcohol and drunk driving problems when the drinking age is lower?” (5). There are more arguments, but the above are the most important and most discussed between people who agree and disagree. Drinking Alcohol at eighteen was once legal in America. According to Wilcox (1), “Approxi... ... middle of paper ... ...nd to over drink when get an opportunity to do so.
The congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. The act punished every state that did not rise the minimum legal drinking age back up to 21. As a result, the legal drinking age has stood at 21 since that law was enacted. Since then, scholars have been arguing to lower the drinking age again. People who think the drinking age should be lowered are because of three facts.