Introduction. Alcohol The Debate Of The Ages, Between The

During the 1960s most U.S. states established 21 as the Minimum Legal Drinking Age, also known as MLDA. Since a few states still kept their MLDA at 18 Congress passed the Uniform Drinking Age Act; which stated that the federal government would not give any highway funds unless those states whose MLDA has not been changed to 21 would change to 21. Ever since the

When it comes to an alcohol safety policy, the United States has never attracted more research and public attention than the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA). In the U.S., the legal drinking age is one of the highest worldwide. The MLDA of 21 is to control traffic fatalities, protect young teens from killing themselves while driving under the influence, and prevent damage medically to a developing brain of a young adult. Many Americans believe that the drinking age of 21 has not stopped teen binge drinking events in uncontrolled environments; however, studies have shown that teens have not yet reached an age where they can handle alcohol responsibly, thus the drinking age should remain at 21.

Throughout history drinking and the drinking age has been a controversial topic. There have been many criticisms regarding the drinking age, many of which have some valid points. Some of which believe there should be no drinking age others believe drinking should be banned. The United States government passed a law in 1984 restricting persons under the age of 21 from purchasing alcohol. Brain growth, body growth, and maturity are all factors when looking at why the drinking age is 21. We should also consider the upside of no legal drinking age less abuse, more tax revenue, tradition.

As most people living in the United States already know, the national minimum age for purchasing alcohol is twenty-one. However, prior to the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, some states lowered the drinking age below 21 (mainly as a result of the lowered voting age). The Drinking Age Act was put into place as a result of a correlation between young drinking and motor vehicle fatalities. Under the provisions of the Act, any states with a minimum drinking age below 21 are subject to a 10% cut in highway funding from the federal government. The United States is one of only a few countries with a drinking age as high as 21; the majority of countries

In the United States, the minimum age required to legally consume alcohol is twenty-one years, being allowed in some states for young people under the minimum drinking age to consume alcohol under specific controlled circumstances. This particular age is controversial as it does not correspond to the age of majority of 18 years embraced by 47 states, which entitles the individual to vote, get married and join the army, among other decisions inherent to adulthood. It is thus seen as contradictory to consider a young person mature enough to take decisions of this nature, but not mature enough to drink alcohol.

The national minimum drinking age in The United States is stated to be anyone under the age of 21 years can not consume or purchase any alcoholic beverage; this law was passed on July 17,1984 by President Reagan. Nearly 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes annually making it the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Many People would agree that alcohol should not be present to children under the age of 21 years. There has been many debates on whether or not the drinking age should be lowered to 18 years of age. “Between 1970 and 1976, 29 states lowered their age for drinking alcohol. The results were catastrophic. Highway deaths among teenagers and young adults skyrocketed. Immediately, states began raising the minimum

appropriations (Haevens). This is the main reason the legal drinking age has not been lower below 21 years of age.a large number of the general population desires a lower drinking age. In the 25 years since the legal drinking age was set at 21, seven states have tried to lower it. (Wechsier ).It is unfair for the federal government to withhold money from states if they exercise their rights to set the legal drinking age to what they think is right. Twenty-six states do allow underage drinking of wine at religious ceremonies ( "Drinking Age" 1). The legal age to drink alcohol should be lowered to 18 to allow for parental guidance, to help prevent binge drinking, and to help reduce the amount of drinking and driving.

The legal drinking age is the age at which a person can consume or purchase alcohol. These laws cover a wide range of issues and behaviors, addressing when and where alcohol can be consumed. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed by Congress 30 years ago. This law told states that they had to enforce the drinking age of 21 or lose up to ten percent of their federal highway funding. The idea that a person was fully an adult at age 21 relates to an English common law. 21 was the age where a person could vote and become a knight. If a person was 21, they could drink then, too. Franklin Roosevelt approved lowering the minimum age for the military draft from 21 to 18 during World War II. Organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) began pushing for the national drinking age to be set at 21. They thought it would keep alcohol out of the hands of 18-year-olds who they felt were less mature. As a result, President Reagan signed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 to set the age at 21. Legislation concerning the legal minimum drinking age in the United States can be

The minimum drinking age in all 50 US States should remain at 21. Exceptions do exist on a state-by-state basis for consumption at home under adult supervision, medical necessity, and other reasons. If parents allow their teenagers to consume alcohol, then we are saying that it is acceptable for a 10 year old to drink beer. In 1976, US Supreme Court case Craig v. Boren ruled 7-2 that this age difference violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment (American Medical Association).

Over the past twenty years the minimum legal drinking age has been twenty-one in all US states, but that has not stopped citizens of the United Sates from attempting to lower the age. Following the end of prohibition in the United Sates during the Great Depression, all states agreed on a set of twenty-one to be the legal drinking age. For almost forty years there was no change in the drinking age until a decrease in the age for voting occurred. This led to the gradual decrease of the minimum legal drinking age to somewhere between the ages of eighteen and twenty among twenty-one states. Recent data collected by Henry Wechsler and Toben F. Nelson, both of which obtain either a

The drinking age in the United States is a contradiction. At the age of eighteen, one can drive a car, vote in an election, get married, serve in the military and buy tobacco products. In the United States you are legally an adult at eighteen. An eighteen-year-old, however, cannot purchase alcoholic beverages. The minimum drinking age should be lowered from twenty-one in the United States.

This paper explores the debate over whether the drinking age should be lowered or raised in the United States. Multiple different sources are provided, each offering a different opinion. The article discusses the ethical, pathological, and emotional effects if the drinking age were to be lowered or raised. If the drinking age were to change, how would society react to this change and what would be the long term effects. Drinking has always caused negative effects, yet how would changing the age effect personal struggles. The sources describe different perspectives to each side, most wanting the age to lower, yet another source contradicts the debate on to lowering the age, and describes how the age works. The articles from Tracy (2008), Cloud (2014), and Engs (1998) all support the idea of lowering the age, yet Nagin (2012) opposes the idea of the lowering the age. All four sources and studies are essential to have a complete understanding of the topic.

“The MLDA should stay at 21 because people tend to be more mature and responsible at 21 than 18.” Adults at the age 21 are more responsible and have been on their own for 4 years and know how to take care of themselves. Alcohol at the age 18 isn't the best options for young adults and the MLDA should stay at

The Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) laws were created in the US after the Prohibition in 1933. AT this time, many states set the MLDA at 21. When the voting age was lowered to 18 in 1971, many states also lowered their drinking age to 18 or 19 (Fell, 2009). After the lowering, the amount of alcohol related accidents involving young adults age 18 to 20 had dramatically increased. Studies also showed that when the drinking age was raised, traffic crashes and alcohol related accidents were significantly lower. Consequently, Congress created the National Uniform Drinking Age 21

On average an estimated two of every 1,000 occasions of illegal drinking by youth under 21 results in an arrest. (procon) This alone shows how unenforceable the minimum legal drinking age is. Underage drinkers are still getting their hands on alcohol, then they go and consume their beverages behind closed doors. Prohibition was lifted in 1933 and around 1970 multiple states started lowering their minimum legal drinking age to 18, 19, or 20. In 1984 a group called Mothers against Drunk Driving started a petition to have the minimum drinking