Minor In Possession Research Paper

For many years, the debate about the legal drinking age has been prolonged. In the mid-1930s, under the 21st Amendment, the federal law to drink was age 21; however, states were given the option to set their own legal drinking age. During the 1970s, 30 states had a legal drinking age ranging from 18 to 20. Ten years in, the death toll rose from 10 to 40 percent in states that had lowered their drinking age (Barnhill, 2014). After many observations of traffic accidents involving drunk teenagers, the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving or (MADD) acted by educating the public of the dangers of drunk driving, and to speak for stronger drunk driving laws. This received so much publicity that President Reagan signed a bill into

Society proposes at the age of eighteen an individual is mature and responsible to make decisions without the consent of a parent or guardian. In the United States an eighteen-year-old is considered a legal adult. By law you are able to fight for your country, vote, and buy cigarettes. Some impose, giving a newly young adult the privilege to consume alcohol would enhance their responsibility as an adult. Mary Cary from

1. It is illegal for a minor in a public place or in a place of business that sells alcohol to consume alcohol, regardless whether a parent or guardian is

drinking age can lead to MIP or even DUI charges , depending on the situation.

If you are under 18, you can be sued for acts committed while drinking, such as vandalism, physical assault, and date rape.

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.

Despite the current legal drinking age being 21, underage drinkers have a virtually unlimited supply to alcohol because parents, siblings, and friends that are of age can easily supply them with booze; 26 percent of underage drinkers receive alcohol from parents or family members. In fact, 40 percent of young adults receive alcoholic beverages from friends and family (2008, Edgar Snyder). “When asked how easy it would be to get alcohol, most 8th, 10th, and 12th graders said ‘fairly easy’ or ‘very easy’” (2008, Edgar Snyder).

According to medicinenet.com, alcohol is the number one most frequently used drugs by teens in the United States. When minors drink alcohol, most of them don't understand the ramifications it can have on them in the future, their families, and when driving, their communities. This is the exact reason why these laws were put in place, to help diminish the possibility of minors getting addicted or hurting themselves and/or other people.

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.

Texas is one of ten states that allow consumption by minors in specific locations such as the privacy of home or in the presence of consenting and supervising family members. In the state of Texas, parents accept responsibility for the safety of minors under 18 when the minor is on their property or on property leased by them and under their care, custody, and control; an adult may provide alcohol to a minor if he/she is the minor’s adult parent, guardian, or spouse, and is visibly present when the minor possesses or consumes the alcoholic beverage. It is against the law to make alcohol available to a non-family person younger than 21

Drinking Law: It is illegal to sell or serve alcohol to a person under 18 years of age. The law provides a exception for minors aged 16 and 17, if they consume a glass of beer, wine or cider with a meal in a restaurant. Otherwise attempting to buy alcohol or buying alcohol as a minor is a offence.

In the United States, a Minor in Possession (MIP), is a criminal offense in which alcohol and drugs are found in the possession of minors, even if they were or weren't using them. If one is younger than the legal drinking age at time of the citation and has had alcohol in their possession or tried to buy alcohol, or has drank some any amount of alcohol are, charged even when not drunk with the exception of some special circumstances such as, “Some states allow 19 and 20 year olds legally consume alcohol. In Michigan, for example, a 19 year old may contest a Minor in Possession charge by claiming s/he drank alcohol legally in Wisconsin or Canada where it is perfectly legal for them to drink alcohol…or the alcohol was consumed in a religious

Louisiana has the lowest rate of arrests for liquor law violations with a rate of 12 arrests per 100,000 in the population; South Dakota has the highest rate with 561 per 100,000 (Wagenaar and Wolfson 39). Despite these numbers of arrests through appropriate law enforcement, underage individuals are still able to access alcohol in many areas. In a recent study, underage males successfully purchased packaged beer in 97 percent of attempts in Washington D.C., 80 percent in Westchester County, New York, and 44 percent in Albany/Schenectady Counties in New York. A similar study found that underage youth were refused alcohol sales in only one-third of 100 establishments tested in eight sights across the United States (Wagenaar and Wolfson 38). It is believe that this perceived leniency in the enforcement creates an environment that enables binge drinking among those that are underage.

Many under the age of 21 are getting in trouble with the law in alcohol related incidents, which wouldn?t take place if the drinking age was lowered. Many underage drinkers drink in more dangerous places in order to avoid law enforcement. "... when these young adults ?drink on the sly in unsupervised settings, they are

First, it is necessary to question this law. Why is 21 the "magical" age that makes one intelligent and mature enough to consume alcohol? Surely, some adults abuse alcohol and some teenagers would be perfectly able to drink responsibly. This seemingly arbitrary number is associated with adulthood, as if the day a person turns 21 they know everything and