Lowering The Drinking Age

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Lowering the Drinking Age 82.6% of the world’s countries’ legal drinking age is below 19 years old; 73% of those countries’ legal drinking age is between 18 and 19 years old. The U.S. is a small percent of the world that’s drinking age is 21. There is much debate on whether to lower the drinking age or not. Some say at 18 our brains are not developed enough for alcohol and “children” under the influence are more dangerous; however, on the opposition other countries thrive even with the lower drinking age. According to Centers of Disease Control and Abuse “68% of 12th graders have tried alcohol before,” showing not only that they can get their hands on it, but that underage drinking is going to happen anyway. At 18 years old an American citizen can fight for our country, yet they cannot drink a beer. The drinking age in the United States should be lowered for the reason that our soldiers that are able to risk their lives cannot consume alcohol and it provides a safer way for an otherwise risky action. Monitoring The Future surveyed a group of high school students 68% of them have tried alcohol and in the last month 39% of them have drank. The United States has a law that states, one under the age of 21 shall not consume alcohol unless they are in their own home and have parent/guardian permission. Not even this law can completely eliminate underage drinking. Statistics shows underage drinking is an issue; it was in the past, today, and will be in the present if nothing is changed. In 1971, Congress changed the law by increasing the drinking age to 21; by late 1970’s most states in America changed their own law to a minimum drinking age of 18 again. This is when another law was passed withholding highway funding to any state that l... ... middle of paper ... ... with it and underage drinking would not be such an issue. The debate on this issue has been ongoing since the drinking age was lowered in the 1970’s. The point is, no matter what, underage consumption of alcohol is going to happen with the minimum age it is at right now. The big controversies are the risks that are associated with the consumption of alcohol; however changing the drinking age did not make the death rate due to alcohol go down. “In fact, it is one of the most researched public health laws on the books. When the law was raised to 21, alcohol-related deaths for young people decreased; when the drinking age was lowered, deaths increased.” (CNN, 2015) If anyone were to look at all the negative effects of raising the drinking age, by far, it would outweigh the positive. If they were to lower the drinking age it would put an end to a big problem in America.

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