The Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered

Car crashes, sexual assaults, domestic abuse, and alcohol poisoning are just a few of the reasons why people under the age of 21 are devastated by the illegal use of alcohol. Alcohol is the first drug choice by the nation’s youth; which could often lead to consequences. The legal drinking age should stay at twenty-one because it betters brain development and lessens violent assaults.

Lowering the drinking age has been a huge controversy in the United States. Should we lower it to eighteen like other countries or just keep it at twenty-one? Many people believe that the drinking age was lowered because of health reasons, but it had nothing to do with health-related problems. President Ronald Reagan gave highway funds to whoever would sign the National Minimum Drinking Age Act (Miron). Alcohol is used for many reasons. It is used for peer pressure, celebration, anxiety, rebellion and many other things. Although the minimum drinking age is twenty-one, this does not stop people below that age from drinking. Teenagers still buy alcohol with fake identifications card, and drink illegally.

The United States drinking age has a long history. It all started when our founding fathers created the amendments and made the eighteenth outlawing drinking entirely (The MLDA should be lowered). This caused several problems because people kept stealing alcohol and hurting people to get a hold of it. Then, the states started making their own laws. From 1969 to 1976 there were 30 states lowering

The United States’ minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) of twenty one is almost a perfect example of a policy with unrealistic expectations and serious unintended consequences. The current policy that the United States has in effect criminalizes youth who consume alcohol at less than twenty one years of age. Young adults are going to drink under twenty one, so why shouldn’t the United States lower the MLDA to eighteen? Following Prohibition in 1933, many states made their MLDA twenty one. During the 1960’s and 1970’s, many states lowered it to eighteen to match the drafting age (Alcohol Policy MD). President Reagan passed The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 which required all states to raise their minimum purchase and public

In the United States, the legal drinking age is twenty-one. In all fifty states, however, there are exceptions for underaged drinking at home, under adult supervision, or for medical purposes (“Drinking Age”). Overall, the legal opportunities for any person under twenty-one to legally drink alcohol are very scarce. There are many different points, made by people from both sides of the issue about whether or not to lower the drinking age to eighteen, or leave it where it currently stands at twenty-one. Although each side has its own arguments, the legal drinking age should be lowered to eighteen years of age throughout all fifty United States.

The legal drinking age in the United States is twenty-one, but has not always been twenty-one. The United States used to have a legal drinking age of eighteen years old before MADD came along. MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, is a nonprofit organization that is fighting to protect drunk drivers, as well as prevent underage consumption of alcohol. When this organization was created, it raised the nations legal drinking age to twenty-one. Most countries still have legal drinking age of eighteen years old. Some countries believe that keep the age of drinking at eighteen will possibly reduce the young adults wanting to do it since by the time they are twenty-one they have sort of gotten over the excitement of being able to drink. One major

Laws surrounding alcohol use and consumption in the United States all stem from one major root: the Prohibition Era of the 1920s. The Prohibition Era lasted almost thirteen years and banned the production, the distribution, and the sale of alcohol. In 1933, the Prohibition Act was repealed and states designated their own legal drinking age. In 1984 the National Minimum Drinking Age act was passed and raised the drinking age in the United States to twenty-one. This law caused uproar in states that had declared the minimum drinking age to be eighteen. Alcohol consumption is a major factor in cultural and social matters and the National Minimum Drinking Age has affected everybody. This law is unjust

We do not hand teenagers car keys without teaching them how to drive first, so why do we expect 21-year-olds to know how to drink responsibly for the first time. Law passed by congress in 1984 leaves America to being one of four countries left in the world with its drinking age at 21, while the rest of the country 's drinking ages are 16 or 17 or has no age limit at all. As a part of turning 18 you are now considered a legal adult and are allowed to make the decision to vote, marry, buy tobacco products, buy guns and join the military. With all the freedom you gain all at 18 year olds, you are cut short of being able to make the decision to drink an alcoholic beverage. So are you really a legal adult? With many American citizens’ starting to change their views on the drinking age there has become more positive views than negative. With these opportunities given to us it is believed that the drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18.

In 114 countries the legal drinking age differs from age 14-20, while in other countries including the United States they have a legal drinking age of 21. Dating back to the prohibition era in the 1920s people protested drinking saying that alcohol is bad for your body, which it is.This created illegal pubs to pop up called speakeasies. Later after the law was passed it got revoked because of all of the protests. The legal drinking age nationwide should be lowered to age 18.

Alcohol is a very popular drink for those that are of legal drinking age. The legal drinking age in the United States is currently 21. Sadly, many teens that are not of legal drinking age consume alcohol while being under age. They believe that they are old enough to handle its effects, and that it is the cool thing to do. The legal drinking age should not be lowered because many teens cannot handle the effects of alcohol or the responsibility that come with the consumption of alcohol. It could harm them mentally, emotionally, physically, or possibly get them killed because of bad decision making. Alcohol is a drug; drugs are not good for anyone, no matter the age. Teens are simply not able to handle the effects of alcohol, and

“In America, eighteen-year-olds can vote, operate a motor vehicle, pay taxes, marry, become a legal guardian, own a gun, fight and die in a foreign country….”(Fulton). An argument can be made that those responsibilities outweigh the responsibility of consuming alcohol .After prohibition ended in America, states were allowed to choose their own drinking age. In the 1970’s, 30 states lowered their drinking age to tie into the 26th amendment lowering of the voting age to 18. In 1984 US congress decided they would put a ten percent cut to infrastructure funding to states who did not adopt a 21 year old drinking age. Many countries around the world have a legal drinking age or 18 years old and sometimes even younger. There are only three other countries that have a drinking age of 21 years old and those countries are Mongolia, Indonesia, and Palau. After prohibition ended in America states were allowed to choose their own drinking age. Many states decided to match the drinking age with the national voting age, which is 18. The United States Of America is pledged with underage drinking problems and DUIs. Lowering the legal drinking age can help limit those problems and even save lives. Having a drinking age of 18 years old will lower DUI and drinking related charges, reduce binge drinking, and save lives .

As of right now within the United States of America, the minimum legal drinking age is set at twenty-one. Some feel that twenty-one is an appropriate age to start engaging in the consumption of alcohol because an individual should be more responsible at the age of twenty-one rather than at the age of eighteen. Some of the main concerns within the country when considering lowering the legal drinking age includes vehicular accidents involving inexperienced drivers who are under the influence and critical health factors such as alcohol poisoning, or even death, due to lack of knowledge about appropriate alcohol consumption. On the other hand, some feel that since becoming eighteen not only makes an individual a legal adult, but also provides the right to vote, purchase tobacco products, and enlist in the military, then alcohol consumption should be legal as well. Although alcohol is now an extremely common substance throughout every inch of the country, this has not always been the case considering it was legally prohibited from the United States at one point. Throughout the continuance of time alcohol has been introduced legally, and ever since then there has not only been a national debate concerning the legal drinking age, but also fluctuation of the minimum legal drinking age ranging as low as eighteen and as high as twenty-one.

Twenty one, twenty, nineteen, eighteen, seventeen, sixteen, fifteen, fourteen; these are the ages most teenagers consume alcohol for the first time. This is a sad epidemic that our country deals with every day. The drinking age is the age at which it is legal for a person to consume or buy alcoholic beverages. The laws of the drinking age cover a wide range of issues and behaviors, addressing when and where alcohol can be consumed. These laws vary among different countries, and many laws have exemptions or special circumstances. Most laws for the legal drinking age apply only to drinking alcohol in a public places, with alcohol consumption in the home being mostly unregulated. Some countries also have different age limits for different types of alcoholic drinks. In the United States of America, the legal drinking age is 21 years old. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 was passed on July 17, 1984 by the United States Congress as a mechanism where all states would become required to legislate the age of 21 years of age as a minimum age for purchasing and consuming alcoholic beverages (Anonymous). For a vast number of reasons, the drinking age should stay at 21.

The legal drinking age in the United States has been the same since 1984. Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Act and lost their federal highway funds. By the age 15 and 18, many of the young adults have had at least one alcohol drink (Underage Drinking). Most of the young adults are in high school binge drinking. Many of the young adults want the legal age to be lower. They think if they can purchase a gun at 18, vote, kill someone legally, or be charged as an adult. Then they can drink at 18 and take full reasonability at 18 and purchase or consume alcohol. About 40% of the young adults decline the age to change in legally drinking. Many other countries legal age is under 21, but have the same problems as the United Sates (Is It Time to Lower The Drinking Age To 18?). Keeping the legal drinking age can help younger adults to focus on their future. Focusing on their future will

The legal drinking age has been volatile throughout the United States’ history changing from absolutely no restrictions to a complete ban. Since the passing of the 21st amendment, the legal age has been 21 making America one of only 4 countries with a legal age at or above 21. Sadly, this has produced a society of immaturity that denies the general populous the ability to make their own decisions and instead conditions the populous to rely on authority to dictate their lives.