Pros And Cons Of Lowering The Drinking Age To 18

In 1984 Ronald Reagan proposed a new law that declared that the legal drinking age must raised up to 21 instead of the age of 18. The law was forced upon the states by threatening them by stating that the government will reduce their highway funding until the states passed the law. Of course all the states eventually change their legal drinking age to 21. Some critics believe that this law’s results have been very successful, however the law possesses many insecurities, but certain programs can be arranged to help educate teenagers on alcohol.

Alcohol is considered to be a large problem in society today. Especially with young adults between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one. Which presents the question of whether or not the drinking age should be lowered. Lowering the legal drinking age to eighteen would have positive and negative influences on society. Positive through raising more government taxes and keep high school age and young college students out of trouble with the law for drinking. Negatively; students, both in high school and college, would drink during the week which could cause problems with education and crimes related to alcohol would be more likely to

Students in states with a minimum legal drinking age of 18 had a 13 times greater chance of dropping out of high school compared to states with a minimum legal drinking age of 21 (CDC). More than ninety percent of the alcohol consumed by those under the age of 21 are consumed by binge drinkers (CDC). There were 189,000 emergency department visits by teens under the age of 21 for injuries and other conditions linked with alcohol consumption (CDC). The list of facts and statistics goes on and on about underage drinking, although in neighboring countries with a lower legal drinking age theses statistics are way higher. Although some believe that the United States drinking age should be lowered to 18 when one is legally considered an adult, in

The minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) in all 50 states is set at 21, but the question is if it should remain the same or should it be lowered. As said on the background information on ProCon.org many people who are for lowing the MLDA says setting it to 21 “pushes underage binge drinking into private and less controlled environments which leads to more life thearenting behaviors. People who oppose lowering the MLDA says that teens are not responsible enough to handle alcohol and can bring harm to themselves. In the beginning states we allowed to set there own alcohol consumption laws but in 1976 the US Supreme Court said the difference of age violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Do you think the drinking age should be lowered to 18? Well I do because you should have the right to drink because once you turn eighteen you will be considered as a legal adult.

It’s the big 18; as an official adult one can go out and vote for the country’s next president, one can become a real patriot and fight for the country they love, one can even purchase tobacco that they have been dying to try. These are just some of the benefits as a legal adult so why is it that in the United States it is still illegal to drink under the age of 21? Consuming alcohol is a right and just like any other right there are consequences that one must endure for abusing them. Lowering the drinking age has always been a controversial debate, on one hand with a stricter drinking requirement than majority of the world America is taking the precaution to keep their citizens out of harm’s way. But on other hand, even though America has

More than half of American youth of age twelve to twenty have tried alcohol. In the United States, the legal drinking age is twenty-one. Austria legal drinking age for beer and wine is sixteen years old. In Saudi Arabia drinking or possessing alcohol is illegal, and people who drink or possess alcohol are subject to arrest and trial. The problematic argument is whether to lower the legal age of drinking alcohol. And some question this motive because underage and binge drinking have multiple risk factors- that can lead to car accidents, violent behavior, alcohol poisoning, and other health problems. The legal age of drinking has justified because of factors affecting the risk of developing a drinking problem at a young age. Potential targets

Have you ever wondered why when you're 18 years old you're old enough to join the army and move out, but not drink or buy alcohol? People are trying to lower the drinking age to 18 because they think they're mature enough. They think if you can be in the military you should be able to drink. If you're old enough to fight in a war and live by yourself you're old enough to buy alcohol.

Nearly everyone has an opinion on what the legal drinking age should be, as it varies worldwide. For example, one out of one hundred and ninety countries have a drinking age of eighteen or nineteen years old. The United States of America holds the highest minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) at twenty-one, with the exception for parts of India where the drinking age is twenty-five or thirty (ProCon). The legal drinking age should be decreased to eighteen; considering, the law recognizes people as legal adults at the age of eighteen. Lowering the legal drinking age would decrease unsafe drinking by providing a safe drinking environment, while minimalizing dangerous, unsafe drinking activities (Guye). Lowering the drinking age would prevent young adults from wanting to drink irresponsibly in a rebellious manor.

For my persuasive essay, I wrote about lowering the legal drinking age. I wrote about this topic because it is very controversial and is a popular subject. The essay was quite challenging because I was fighting it and a lot of the reliable information, such as statistics, were going against my opinion. In my paper I think I did a good job of finding a fair compromise between the two sides by using what I researched to point out the pros and cons and coming to a solution. Although I took the side of lowering the legal drinking age, I have explained why people believe it shouldn’t be changed.

Drinking has become a part of every “young adult's” life. It has even taken a toll some. Turning 21 is something that every person is waiting on. You can buy your own alcohol but the main point is are you mature enough, can you control your alcohol can you afford all the risk that comes with it? Just because you turn 21 does not mean you should be able to buy your own alcohol. Increasing the age to buy alcohol should be in consideration and here is why.

So, where do you fit in? Are you pro or con for lowering or keep the legal age at 21? Many factor can change your opinion on the subject from the actually age you had your first drink to if you heavy drinker but one fact remains. Alcohol is not to taking lightly. It can be the beginning of good time but the end to a bad time. Most people are not ready to handle the responsible of drinking. Responsible is of major factor when deciding to drink. I strongly believe that young adult are ready to handle the responsible of drink till they are legal age and even they maybe not. Many study show how dramatic how fragile the young mind is and how alcohol can change a person perceive. Their decision can long term affect at their young age.

The issues that arise with this course of action include several components. Firstly, raising the drinking age would cause a greater number of adolescents and young adults to drink impulsively due to the psychological reactance theory. Secondly, this would cause hysteria in society considering that there is already a set precedent of the drinking age being 21 years old, which is considerably high in comparison to other countries. Furthermore, this would create an even larger gap between the age a citizen can join the military and legally buy a drink. There is already a three year gap in between when you are legally allowed to risk your life for your country and when you are legally allowed to purchase alcohol; if the legal minimum drinking age was raised to the age of when the brain is fully matured, the gap would increase to 6 to 7 years. Moreover, the increase in the drinking age would cause businesses like bars, liquor stores, and clubs to lose profit since their customer pool would be considerably smaller. Additionally, if these young people are told that they have to wait even longer to be able to purchase alcohol or if their right is revoked after already knowing the freedom of being of age, then this would force drinking to go even further underground creating multitudes of unsafe drinking environments.

What do college students do on a Friday night? They drink. What if this privilege were extended to eighteen-year-olds and became prevalent among high school students as well? There are many advocates for lowering the legal drinking age, and certain states have considered it as well. If eighteen-year-olds can serve in the military and get married, why can they not drink? The legal drinking age should not be lowered because studies show that traffic fatalities would increase, youth are not responsible enough, and younger bodies cannot handle alcohol consumption.

The main push against lowering the drinking age is that the human brain is still delicate into your late teens and early twenties and alcohol can ruin your development. As your brain is still growing, the toxins of alcohol have been known to disrupt this growth for the worse. “Studies of adolescents show that heavy and extended alcohol use is associated with a 10% reduction in the size of the hippocampus. It also shows that the function of the hippocampus is uniquely sensitive to alcohol at this time and that alcohol may be poisonous to the nerve cells of the hippocampus causing them to be damaged or destroyed” (“Impact of Alcohol”, 2017). The hippocampus is the part of the brain that controls your memory and learning. It doesn’t fully develop until your mid twenties, and throwing alcohol