Pros And Cons Of Lowering The Drinking Age - 1822 Words

Although not always the case, the legal drinking age in the United States is 21 years old. However, the minimum legal drinking age drastically varies across the rest of the globe, with some countries allowing legal alcohol consumption before individuals have even turned 18 years old. Since the legal drinking age was changed to 21 years, it has been a controversial issue in the United States. For decades, there have been debates on the pros and cons of lowering the legal age. In fact, there have even been brief periods of time in history where the age has been lowered. Nonetheless, these trial periods have often failed and have only further displayed the need for the minimum legal drinking age to be kept at 21 years. Arguments from both†¦show more content†¦These proponent and opponent groups of Americans are normally made up based on their political ideology, personal drinking habits, and education level (Jones, 2014). These statistics clearly show that a majority of the nat ion, regardless of political, personal, and educational reasons, agree with the current minimum legal drinking age law and any evidence that backs up the law. However, in other countries the issue is not always as clear. For example, in the United Kingdom the legal purchasing age is 18, but adolescents aged 16-17 are able to drink certain types of alcohol with their meals if it is bought by an adult (Healey, Rahman, Faizai, Kinderman, 2014). The issue here becomes whether this can cause confusion of when drinking is acceptable among adolescents and young adults, possibly leading to elevated levels of underage drinking. This could also lead to questioning of the term adult. An 18-year-old is considered an adult and is able to buy alcohol. By these standards, this could mean that an 18-year-old could potentially buy alcohol for minors, which would be concerning. Perhaps this is one of the reasons the UK reported higher intoxication rates, intoxication in the last 30-days, and intoxic ation before the age of 13 when compared to the United States (Healey, Rahman, Faizai, Show MoreRelatedChallenging The Legal Drinking Age1689 Words   |  7 PagesMackenzie Schultz Mrs. Hamilton AP English Language 25 July 2014 Challenging the Legal Drinking Age 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. SupportersRead MoreDrinking At 18 Legal Or Not949 Words   |  4 PagesDrinking at 18 legal or not Changing the drinking age from 21 to 18 has been a controversial argument for many years now, Even though every states legal drinking age is 21 there is some states that make certain exceptions in some situations. There is many pros and cons to changing this such as a good thing is some 18 year olds may not binge drink as they do when they turn 21. If 18-20 year olds are allowed to drink in supervised locations such as bars and restaurants it would be a much safer environmentRead MoreLowering The Drinking Age From 21 Essay1214 Words   |  5 PagesUnderage drinking. It’s all the rage in this generation. Youths everywhere are subjecting themselves to excessive amounts of alcohol at illegal ages, and the consequences are evident all around us. Every year over 5,000 kids under the age of 21 die from alcohol abuse, 1 in 5 10th graders will resort to binge drinking, and alcohol continues to damage developing teen brains (Let’s Stop Teen Drinking Tragedies). While they ma y not be seen in night clubs in bars, people between the ages of 18 and 21Read MoreIncrease in the Legal Drinking Age870 Words   |  3 PagesAnother reason why the legal drinking age was changed is because of the fact that the adolescent brain is not fully developed; it is supposed that â€Å"excessive alcohol intake causes brain damage† in teens. However, in order for damage to occur, the drinking has to be extremely excessive. If there are only a few of these extreme bingeing â€Å"episodes,† they do no harm to the adolescent brain (Minimum Drinking Age). David J. Hanson, a professor at the University of New York at Potsdam, states, â€Å"There’sRead MoreEssay on Federal Highway Policy714 Words   |  3 PagesPolicy: Minimum Legal Drinking Age Ashley Miller American National Government Mark Ladd February 17, 2014 The Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) laws were created in the US after the Prohibition in 1933. AT this time, many states set the MLDA at 21. When the voting age was lowered to 18 in 1971, many states also lowered their drinking age to 18 or 19 (Fell, 2009). After the lowering, the amount of alcohol related accidents involving young adults age 18 to 20 had dramaticallyRead MoreLowering the Drinking Age1223 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"What we’re doing now to prevent underage drinking isn’t working; it’s time to try something else.† Although many people argue that the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1964, which lowed the drinking age from eighteen to twenty one, was a good idea. David J Hanson a professor in the State University of New York believed that something needs to be done to make the United States a safer place to live. Is it fair that people in the United States can serve in the military, vote in elections, serveRead MoreLowering The Drinkin g Age From Twenty857 Words   |  4 PagesAt eighteen years of age a teenager becomes an adult. They can choose to move out of their parents home, vote, marry, joining the military and buy tobacco and lottery tickets, but it isn’t illegal to purchase alcohol. However, in twenty-nine states it is legal to consume alcohol at eighteen, but not to purchase alcohol. Becoming an adult has many responsibilities; therefore, citizens should be able to drink at eighteen. The United States should lower the drinking age from twenty-one to eighteen becauseRead MoreThe Smoking Age Should Be Legal Drinking Age1517 Words   |  7 Pagesrequiring you to be over the age of 21 to consume alcoholic beverages. This law has proved itself by saving many lives and overall just having a positive outcome in the community. People say that no matter what the age limit is kids will still drink? I completely disagree, believe it or not there’s endless ways in which it can be prevented while the d rinking age remains 21. Parents make a big difference and can prevent this from happening and I have to agree 100% that the drinking age has saved hundreds ofRead MoreControversial Analysis: Drinking Age1278 Words   |  6 PagesCarolina Quiroga April 02, 2012 Leslie Jones English 102 The Drinking Age and Young Adults. Because underage drinking is a major problem for young adults, the drinking age has become a very controversial issue. In the 1990s, the drinking age was 18, but it was changed to 21 in 1984. The Federal Government informed states to choose between raising the drinking age to 21 or foregoing highway funding. This decision obviously affected 18 to 20 year olds who could no longer buy alcoholic beveragesRead MoreBang! A Soldier Just Got Shot, And Most Likely P Never1676 Words   |  7 Pagesfreedom of drinking? The drinking age was moved to the age of 21 in 1984 due to many drunk drivers. Now I think everyone gets the point not to drink and drive due to the serious consequences. If we lowered the drinking age underage drinking wouldn’t be as big. More money for our government will be made, therefore we can buy and reproduce more goods. The drinking age should be lowered, because it will stop binge drinking, you are considered an adult at age 18, and it helps colleges. Binge Drinking is when