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The Legal Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered

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The Legal Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered There are copious amounts of people who believe that the legal drinking age should be lowered to eighteen. Others think the drinking age needs to remain the same. A few of those also conclude the legal age of adulthood should be raised to 21. The belief is if the adolescent brain has not matured enough to support alcohol use by age 21, it cannot make the responsible decisions required at 18 years of age. Voters should make the decision to keep the legal drinking age at 21, because lowering the age could lead to several psychological,physiological and sociological issues. Lowering the drinking age to 18 would be medically irresponsible. Drinking under the age of 21 has been linked to several physical issues among young people ("Fact Sheets - Age 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age"). The underage consumption of alcohol can impede the development of the frontal lobes of a young adult’s brain. These lobes are responsible for the regulation of emotions, organizing, and planning. Any damage sustained to this area of the brain can cause problems that last a lifetime, and can even lead to depression and suicide ("Drinking Age ProCon.org"). Although these are very serious dilemmas, there are those who would argue that if the brain were mature enough to make the important decisions, such as voting, fighting and dying for the country, and serving in a jury, it is mature enough to make the decision and handle drinking.
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