Should The Minimum Legal Drinking Age Be Lowered?

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.

In recent discussions of the drinking age limit, people have always said that the drinking age limit should be lowered. Some may argue that alcohol is not bad and that it can actually be beneficially. Many people would want the drinking age limit to be lowered so that it is legal for young adults to drink. If the drinking age limit were to be lowered there would be a drastic difference in society. In my perspective I will argue that the drinking age limit should not be lowered.

Alcohol is usually sought after within the adolescent community and has been an issue among young people. On July 17th 1984, congress passed The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 which enforces the legal drinking age and purchasing of alcohol in the United States to be twenty-one. Since then, the debated idea of whether or not the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen has been an ongoing topic for decades. Alcoholism affects many people in the United States but promoting it at such young age would not be such a great idea for the youths in today’s society.The drinking age should not be lowered due to the fact that it poses many dangers in the lives of teenaegers especially brain damages, underage drinking has declined since 1984, enforcing alcohol among teenagers may cause an increase in drunk driving and deaths and most importantly, teenagers who start drinking at an early age are more than three times more likely to develop alcohol dependency later on in life than those who started at the legal age of 21 or later.

According to Andrew Herman, “Each year, 14,000 die from drinking too much. 600,000 are victims of alcohol related physical assault and 17,000 are a result of drunken driving deaths, many being innocent bystanders” (470). These massive numbers bring about an important realization: alcohol is a huge issue in America today. Although the problem is evident in Americans of all ages, the biggest issue is present in young adults and teens. In fact, teens begin to feel the effects of alcohol twice as fast as adults and are more likely to participate in “binge-drinking” (Sullivan 473). The problem is evident, but the solution may be simple. Although opponents argue lowering the drinking age could make alcohol available to some teens not

Alcohol is consumed by people for many different reason such as celebrations, peer pressure, anxiety, boredom, sadness, insomnia, and rebellion. These are just a few reason why people may consume alcohol. The category of people also includes teenagers. Many on-going debates have flagged this question whether drinking should be lowered to eighteen or not? Citizens have gave details regarding the affirmative and negative views of the minimum drinking age be lowered to eighteen. Do you think that it is wise to lower the minimum age? Would you look at the negative and positive impacts? Is it more important to give our citizens these full rights? Currently, in the United States the legal drinking age is twenty-one. But as we all know many teenages are involved in underage drinking. But the main question is why? Why do these teenagers drink illegally?

“Adults under 21 are deemed capable of voting, signing contracts, serving on juries and enlisting in the military, but are told they are not mature enough to have a beer.” ("Amethyst Initiative: Rethink the Drinking Age"). The causes behind the minimum legal drinking age standardization nationally has not been alleviated in the past couple decades and should be repealed. The minimum legal drinking age should be lowered to the age of eighteen which is the age when one is no longer a minor.

Simultaneously, accidents involving automobiles without a doubt are devastating. How would one feel if a loved one was killed in a collision due to an intoxicated driver? Wouldn’t the individual want to do something about it? The death of the Candy Lightner’s daughter lead to her development of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act. This act gave full federal highway funds only to states that set the minimum age to purchase or consume alcohol at twenty-one years (Sanghavi). Once all states raised their MLDA to twenty-one years, drunk-driving accidents and deaths decreased. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the reduction in traffic fatalities due to the legal drinking age of twenty-one prevented 846 deaths in 1997 and prevented a total of 17,359 deaths since 1975 (Balkin 168). This single statistic shows that automobile accidents have substantially decreased in response to the authorization of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. In addition, the average teenager earns their drivers license at the age of seventeen. This being said, allowing a young driver with only one years experience (excluding a learners permit) to legally consume alcohol would surely be an irresponsible decision. Most people know

In 1984, the legal drinking age was changed to twenty-one years of age. This change was made after the Prohibition. Studies during this time found that as the minimum legal drink age (MLDA) was lowered, there was an increase in youth traffic accidents. A study done after the legal drinking age was raised to twenty-one showed reduced youth drinking, youth drunk-driving, and accidents related to alcohol. The change of the minimum legal drinking age proved to be beneficial during this time period.

The Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) has been challenged since the passing of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 that raised the drinking age to twenty-one in all fifty states (Ogilvie). Advocates for lowering the MLDA to eighteen years of age argue that this change will eliminate the thrill of breaking the law for young adults entering college and boost the national economy. Supporters continue to ask legislature what the true meaning of “adulthood” is if an eighteen year old can serve in the armed forces and vote, but cannot drink alcohol (Lowering the Legal Drinking Age: An Analysis of the Pros and Cons). Those against the alteration, a majority of Americans, argue that twenty-one year olds are medically mature and more responsible, therefore reducing the amount of fatal traffic accidents (Minimum Legal Drinking Age).

In the United States of America, the National Government requires the states to enforce a legal drinking age of twenty-one. Where as the world average drinking age is eighteen, and in some Countries it is even lower where it is possible to get a beer at sixteen years of age. Taking that into consideration, there is a great deal of controversy in the United States on what the legal age should be to purchase and consume an alcoholic beverage. The largest issue being that you are considered to be an adult at eighteen and can buy cigarettes and other tobacco products, but are unable to purchase alcohol. With that there are many other reasons why the legal age to drink should be lowered.

The 21 year old MLDA saves lives. There has been reduced alcohol-related traffic crashes and alcohol consumption among teens (DeJong np) Raising the legal drinking age has decreased the amount of teenagers consuming and or driving or riding with someone after drinking, keeping them safer. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, 900 lives are saved annually from alcohol-related accidents since the drinking age change. Keeping alcohol away from teenagers can keep them away from dangerous situations that may result in fatalities. A review of 49 studies shows that when the MLDA was lowered from 21 to 18, fatalities increased 10%, but when it was raised from 18 to 21, fatalities decreased 16% (Minimum np). These studies show a decrease in fatalities that are mainly among teens. The MLDA of 21 has saved thousands of teen’s lives and that is one reason it should

With more of our population drinking alcohol, communities would become less safe overall. Alcohol would be prevalent in high schools, high schoolers would be prevalent in bars, and the natural balance of our society would be upset. It would also raise concerns for children as young as 14 who could get access to alcohol and potentially develop alcoholism or start using illegal drugs from this early exposure to alcohol.(2) Though some counter argue that this would not be a problem and point to Europe’s low drinking ages as evidence, our society in the US is so different from that of Europe that it is not really a fair comparison to make. Overall, “proponents of the higher drinking age says it reduces traffic fatalities and alcohol-related accidents while keeping booze out of the hands of teens, whose brains are still developing.”(1) These are fair and good reasons to not lower the MLDA; it seems clear that the negatives that would come with a drinking age of 18 greatly outweigh the perceived benefits of this

Regulating alcohol consumption is an ongoing controversial issue in the United States, and setting the minimum legal drinking age MLDA of 18 is a very familiar argument. The supporters of this argument point out that it is the age of adulthood, and young people should make their own decisions. They can vote, drive, and join the military then why can’t they drink? They also refer to Europe and how minimizing the legal age worked well there. However, these are short-sighted claims. The age limit should stay at 21 for many reasons. First, even though teens reach majority age at 18, and consider drinking a rite of passage, it is detrimental to their neurological development. The prefrontal cortex a part

The drinking age in the United States is currently 21. I believe that this drinking age should be lowered to 18. One reason why I believe this is because in the United States 18 is the age of adulthood so I think they they should be able to make there own decisions because you are not a minor anymore. For example, you are allowed to buy a house, vote, join the military, serve jury duty, get married, apply for loans, and use tobacco products. There are 115 countries with a MLDA (Minimum Legal Drinking Age) of 18-19. Also there is only 12 countries with a MLDA of 21. There are also fewer drunk driving traffic accidents and fatalities in many countries with MLDA of 18. I believe that this could help because there are a lot of DUI’s and car crashes

The definition of the word adult is: “a person who has attained the age of maturity as specified by law”(Dictionary.com). If this is so, then why is it that in the United States 18 year olds are legally considered adults in our society, but they can’t legally buy or consume alcohol? Yet at this age they are able to vote in an election, get married, serve on a jury, live on their own, purchase cigarettes, adopt a child, and defend our country. These are not easy tasks for one to take on, yet our government thinks that 18 year olds can take on these responsibilities, but not drink responsibly. Our legal drinking age should be lowered to 18 because this is the age when a teenager participates in society as an adult.