Persuasive Essay On Lowering The Drinking Age

It has been a rising issue within the past century to have the drinking age set at 21, but many people are more in favor of having the age set at 18. For instance, “’Raising the drinking age to 21 was passed with the very best of intentions, but it’s had the very worst of outcomes,’ stated by David J. Hanson, an alcohol policy expert” (Johnson). Many people believe that having the drinking age set at 21 was a smart idea, but it has caused many more deaths and injuries over the years. Most of these fatalities are cause from people who are underage and choose to consume alcohol. Again, “Libertarian groups and some conservative economic foundations, seeing the age limits as having been extorted by Washington, have long championed lowering the drinking age” (Johnson). These groups see that keeping the drinking age set at 21 is dangerous as it causes more problems to the Untied States. If the drinking age was lowered, or set at 18, there would not be such unforgiving outcomes, like deaths and lifelong injuries, which are usually caused from people who are under the age of 21 drinking alcohol. Although there are numerous groups that are fighting to keep the age

The legal drinking age is a highly debated topic in the United States and Canada. The drinking age refers to the age when people are allowed to buy and consume alcohol. The drinking age varies from country to country, and in some cases state to state. South Dakota, for example, allows teens to drink at 18 with adult permission unlike many other states in the U.S. Many people are happy with the current drinking age where it's at, but many want it lowered to 18. Those people that want it lowered think that when people turn 18, they are considered adults and should have all the rights and privileges that 21 year olds possess. Many people disagree with this and think adolescents are not fully responsible until they are 21. This has become a major debate in our country over the past few years as we have seen an increase in underage drinking. Being a legal drinker requires lots of responsibility and smart decision making.

Lowering the drinking age will result in life and death consequences. By keeping the drinking age at 21, the rate of fatalities for drinking and driving decrease drastically. During the short period during the late 1980’s when the drinking age was lowered to 18, the number of fatal car crashes involving young adults who were under the influence dropped from 61% to 31% (Wil Fulton). By bringing the age down to 18-years-old, alcohol would be more accessible to the lower age group. For example, an 18 year old, who is still in high school, is more likely to sell alcohol to a 16 year old than a 21 year old, who is away at college. In recent studies, researchers found that 77% of the population are opposed to lowering the drinking age to 18 (Brandon Griggs). MADD is supported by influential government companies such as the American Medical Association, National Transportation Safety Board, National Safety Council, International Association Chiefs of Police, Governor's Highway Safety Association, Surgeon General of the United States, and U.S. Transportation Secretary to name a few (John H. Barnhill, PHD). Overall, young teenagers lack the proper wisdom collected to make right judgments about alcohol. The 3 years between the age 18 and 21 are filled with change and responsibilities, making one more suitable to make appropriate

Once the allure of alcohol is no longer a social trend, parents would be stripped of their worries of their “rebellious teenagers sneaking off to basements and backwoods to binge drink far from adult supervision” (Griggs). Parents cannot protect their children from every hazard in the world, but they can educate their kids and desensitize their kids to the thrill of drinking out of adult supervision. Opposers claim that the current law “...[diminishes] the number of traffic deaths caused by young drunk drivers...” but they fail to realize that “...tougher seat belt and D.U.I. rules have contributed to the decrease, too” (Glaser). “Raising the drinking age hasn't reduced drinking -- it’s merely driven it underground..” (Glaser). With the legal drinking age at 18 and the incorporation of alcohol awareness classes, citizens would develop safer habits when consuming

Lowering the drinking age from 21 would be irresponsible. People argue that lowering the drinking age is not smart because most youths still have not yet reached a mature age to handle alcohol. Teens that include themselves in an unsafe environment are likely to endure in self-harm and encounter in binge drinking. The Alcohol Policy Information System says, “Annually, about 5,000 youth under the age of 21 die in incidents due to underage drinking” (“Drinking”). I believe the drinking age should not be lowered because of the major hazards that could occur, an increase in traffic accidents, and the age maturity to handle alcohol responsibly.

The debate of lowering the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) has been going on for decades in the United States. Those opposed, argue that the current MLDA is not efficient and counterproductive (Engs 1). One study indicated that thousands of lives under the age of twenty-one are lost each year to alcohol (McCardell 1). Underage drinking is an issue that persists, despite evidence suggesting that the minimum legal drinking age of twenty-one has lowered alcohol usage among individual who are underage (Toomey 1961-1962). Teens tend to over drink, which can lead to severe consequences. They do not know better because they are inexperienced and not aware of the effects. Better drinking habits could be enforced by lowering the minimum legal drinking age. This could give eighteen year olds, when first considered as adults by most states, the right to decide about their alcohol usage ("Should" 1), and the ability to make safer choices which keep themselves and others safe.

Studies suggest that if the legal drinking age was lowered, then young adults would go about drinking safer due to it taking away the thrill of breaking the law. Binge drinking is often done at parties, but with the drinking age being lowered, parties would not be stopped. However, they would be more controlled. Lowering the drinking age would lead to young adults drinking in moderation (“Post Letter” 1). Main stated that before the drinking age was raised the drinking and driving rate among young adults skyrocketed (Main). Now with the increased awareness about drinking and driving that young adults are shown, studies have proven that the amount of people drinking and driving has decreased (“Why Colleges”

Fatal car crashes have been an issue since the introduction of the automobile. Thankfully, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in an article published March 21, 2017, “The percentage of teens in high school who drink and drive by more than half since 1991” This is in part due to the MLDA Act that has restricted many new drivers from getting drunk and recklessly driving through towns. In that same article the CDC also claims, “Young drivers (ages16-20) are 17 times more likely to die in a crash when they have a blood alcohol concentration of .08% than when they have not been drinking.” Any change to the Act to lower the drinking age will only more likelihood to a fatal crash within that age group. At the Roanoke College, a private and liberal arts institute in Maryland, students complied a paper assignment with statistics of fatal car crashes due to drunk driving below the minimum drinking age. “…for the 19- and 20-year-old age cohort, after implementation of the age law, there was a startlingly and statistically significant decline (to the 4% level) in the number of driver deaths in single-vehicle nighttime accidents...” While adults and older teens would claim they could still drive sober and drink below the age of 21, the statistics show otherwise. No one can, in good thinking, lower

Some people believe that the legal drinking age should be lower than 21. This is thought because, underage drinking is already happening, so it should be legal for those of a younger age, so there is less people in trouble. Abigail Hall, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Tampa, says “If a 21-year-old woman overindulges at the bar, the bartender, friends, or even other patrons can encourage her to stop.” “But if the woman is 18 she can’t go to the bar. So, like many college students, she goes to her friends’ place or a party.” She might become violently ill from over-consumption or something else happens, what options are available?” She is saying that the legal drinking age should be lowered so a person can drink at a bar and if they become sick someone is there to help, or they could do nothing and if a person becomes sick, then no one will help because they don’t know what to do or don’t want to get in trouble for drinking. People believe that the minimum legal drinking age should be lower than 21 so that way there are less people in trouble from underage drinking and less people will be severely ill or injured..

But from my point of view my friends like to get out and go trail riding or something in that sort so lowering the age shouldn’t apply to everybody.Also some older people like to go to bars and either injury or become ill so lowering the drinking age will help prevent that from my standpoint.”The problem here is obvious. If a 21-year-old woman overindulges at the bar, the bartender, friends, or even other patrons can encourage her to stop. If she becomes ill or injured, someone is there to help”. “LOWERING THE LEGAL DRINKING AGE”. So if the either age drinks there’s consequences but they should still lower the legal drinking age or at least try it. Now to my second lead is that there has been fatalities in the pass do to underage drinking bc in the 1980s. By 1974, 29 states had lowered their drinking age to 18, but differences from state to state led to border-crossing and a rise in teenage drunk-driving. By the mid '80s the federal government stepped in to mandate 21 as the national standard. But the age for drinking should still be lowered bc kids entering adulthood need to be treated like an

Statistics are just numbers until they personally impact you. Studies have shown that the law that retains the legal drinking age at 21, also known as the 21 law, saves approximately 1,00 lives a year. It is an indisputable fact that lowering the drinking age to 18 would cause teenager death rates to increase. The 21 law upholds teenager’s overall health, saves lives, and prevents addiction problems from occurring earlier in life. Lowering the drinking age would obviously have negative consequences.

Alcohol consumption has been shown to interfere with the formation and development of the frontal lobes of young adult brains, which is an essential function for emotion regulation, planning and organization. The consumption at a young age has lead to potential chronic problems such of that as greater vulnerability to addiction, decision-making, memory loss as well as depression and suicidal violence at an increased rate. That in mind, studies have found that those whose being drinking at a younger stage that there suppose too are more likely to being using illicit drugs. Lowering the drinking age below 21 has shown that number to increase not only in those teens that drink but teens that use other illicit drugs. The U.S. district court has found that lowering the drinking age to 18 is “not a right” and it’s shown to state an objective in lowering the rate of subjected car crashes as it withstands to constitutional challenges granting that right to people. The U.S. district court has stated that the drinking age at where it stands it’s not meant to discriminate anyone on the criteria of age but prevent future highway crashes, as it’s obtainable in scientific

Bars, nightclubs, and other licensed alcohol establishments are very unsafe for college students (“Should the Drinking Age...”). Also, new college students are extremely vulnerable in the first six weeks of their freshmen year (“College Drinking”). Therefore, lowering the drinking age to eighteen will allow new college students to engage in binge drinking at an incredibly young age. Also, seventy-six percent of licensed alcohol establishments cater to intoxicated patrons (“Should the Drinking Age...”). As a result, nearly half of the intoxicated consumers are arrested for driving while intoxicated (“Should the Drinking Age...”). The intoxicated drivers pose a serious risk to pedestrians, drivers, and college students. If the drinking age was lowered to eighteen, college students would be exposed to a greater amount of danger which can lead to fatal injuries, car wrecks, and assaults (“College Drinking”). Do parents or guardians want to expose their children to the danger of intoxicated people? The majority of the population would agree that lowering the drinking age to eighteen would result in greater danger to college students.

John and his friends were sitting in his dorm room when he got a text from another one of his college buddies about a party. You would think that it’s another college party that could get out of hand fast, but he decides to go. People will party, and drink, whether it’s legal or not, so wouldn’t we want to make them as safe as possible for them? Since 1984 the legal drinking age has been 21, but that hasn’t stopped many of the younger adults, ages 18-20, from partying with their friends, and consuming alcoholic beverages. It has lasted over the years as a popular way to rebel against parents, or other authority. Alcohol has a sort of “forbidden fruit” quality for young adults and teens because it is made out to be such a big deal by the government. Lowering it will get rid of this quality. The drinking age is set too high and I believe it needs to be lowered by changing the Minimum Legal Drinking Age Law (MLDA) from 21 years of age to 18 years of age.

Making alcohol illegal for people under 21 only makes it more probable that teens will drink recklessly. The struggles to decrease the aggressive effects of drinking for teens by making the drinking age 21 have failed. It has been unsuccessful and only causes more complications. People between the ages 18 and 21 are considered second-class citizens because of their age. These adults are accountable for their own actions; they are legally adults in almost every other manifestation. This decision should not be stood for.