...whether or not the national drinking age should be lowered to 18 years old. Evidence will be presented for both sides to determine if lowering the drinking age would lower dangerous underage drinking also. This research paper will be presented to our Iowan Representatives in Congress to decide whether of not having a minnimum drinking age of 18 would benefit the U.S. Background There are some states that have considered petitioning the drinking age. The 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act requires that States prohibit persons under 21 years of age from purchasing or publicly possessing alcoholic beverages as a condition of receiving State highway funds (“The 1984 National”). South Dakota, a state that permitted persons 19 years of age to purchase alcohol, challenged the law (“South Dakota v.”) In a 7-to-2 decision, the Court held that Congress, acting indirectly to encourage uniformity in states' drinking ages, was within constitutional bounds (“South Dakota v.”) Twenty-three years after raising the legal drinking age to 21, Vermont lawmakers are revisiting the issue, despite the threat of losing highway funding if they lower the age minimum (“Vermont Considers Lowering”). Typically, when states flirt...
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...In 1984, Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which changed the national legal alcohol purchase and consumption age to 21. Though states were not required to comply, those which did not change the drinking age to 21 were threatened with losing 10 percent of their federal highway money. Though the act successfully reduced traffic fatalities related to drunk driving accidents, underage drinking has not stopped. According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, underage drinking accounts for 17.5 percent ($22.5 billion) of consumer spending for alcohol in the U.S. Lowering the drinking age to 18 would allow 18-to-20-year-olds to consume alcohol safely in regulated environments, with supervision. Since the drinking age is 21, underage college students often consume alcohol in unsupervised spaces, such as house parties, where binge drinking and other drug use occurs. Lowering the drinking age would also reduce the number of alcohol-related accidents among underage drinkers. Many underage drinkers will not seek medical attention, no matter how severe injuries may be, because they fear the legal consequences of their actions. At age 18, citizens are allowed to vote, purchase tobacco, be prosecuted as adults and serve the country, so why can they not be allowed to purchase and consume alcohol? If the drinking age was lowered, alcohol consumption could be less taboo for adults between ages 18 and 20. Alcohol could become a more integral...
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...Intro Bus Critical thinking exercise 4-2 Ethical Dilemmas 5. You are the vice president of a beer company in a state that sets the legal drinking age at 21. Your boss asks you to organize a lobbying effort to have the drinking age reduced to 18. What would you do? A. I would do research and report my findings to my boss. Although it might seem like a good idea to do so -higher sales, and therefore higher revenue and profit- lowering the drinking age would be a losing battle. States can lower the drinking age back down to 18 or 19 but the amount of federal highway funds they'd lose (about 10%) makes it too expensive for them to do it. Many politicians don't want to risk getting involved. Why change something that appears to be working. Young people might like a beer at 18 but young people don't vote. 77% of Americans are opposed to lowering the drinking age to 18 according to a 2007 Gallop poll. Research shows that the law saves lives. It is one of the most researched public health laws on the books. When the law was raised to 21, alcohol-related deaths for young people decreased; when it was lowered, deaths increased. Scientific research about brain development and function, traffic accident records and population death rates show clearly that 18-21 year-olds handle alcohol poorly. The idea is strongly opposed by social and religious conservatives, parts of hospitality and retail industry concerned about liability, groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving...
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...The drinking age in the U.S. is a widely debated topic. People everywhere think it should be lowered while other people think it should stay the same. In this report I will explain both sides of the story and all of the pros and cons of lowering the official age, and then explain to you my view on the topic. Why we should lower the drinking age. 18 is the age of adulthood in The United States, and adults have the right to make their own decisions about alcohol consumption. By lowering the drinking age, allowing 18-20 year olds to drink in regulated environments would decrease unsafe drinking activities. Also there are fewer drunk driving accidents and fatalities in many countries with the MLDA of 18. Lowering the MLDA from 21 to 18 would...
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...The Effects of Raising or Lowering the Legal Drinking Age The debate about whether the legal drinking age should be raised or lowered is a common debate in the public domain. The decision on what age one begins drinking is determined by various factors which involve the gene combination of the person and the immediate environment around the person (Vingilis and Smart 415). For instance, the changes that adolescents go through in their biology and physiology can influence the age at which they start drinking alcohol. The behavior of a child influences his environment as the child gets to make friends and these influence the age at which the child can start to experiment with alcohol. Raising or lowering the legal drinking age is bound to raise major concerns. This will be a major concern for parents whose children are directly affected by the issue. Likewise, adolescents and youth are bound to get affected thus they are likely to engage in this debate too (Vingilis and Smart 415). Raising the legal drinking age lowers death rate. According to Mothers against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Congress members who met to mark the 20th anniversary of passing of a federal law that rose the minimum legal drinking age to 21, about 20,000 lives were saved through the passing of the law (MADD). The law signed in July 17, 1984 by the then President Reagan set the minimum drinking age as 21. An estimate by MADD approximates that underage drinking kills 6,000 people every year through traffic...
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...Eighteen Years Old yet Not Old Enough The term legal drinking age refers to the earliest age at which a person can legally consume alcoholic beverages within particular jurisdictions. This age differs from country to country and in certain cases from state to state within a country. The Minimum Legal Drinking Age or the MLDA, in the United States as of today is twenty-one years. Lowering the MLDA is a touchy subject to many because people do not quite see the benefits that would come of it. Living in the United States, when a person turns eighteen years old, they are considered to be an adult and gain many rights and responsibilities. The MLDA should be lowered to the age of eighteen to coincide with those rights and responsibilities and be able to help benefit our country. A person is legally considered an adult once they have turned eighteen years of age. Parents of these teenagers are no longer held responsible for their teen’s actions. At that point in every young adult’s life comes along with many responsibilities and also many rights that a person deserves to have. Having the right to vote for who represents our country and local affairs, the ability to buy cigarettes and get married without having a parent’s consent, being able to serve our country by joining the Army forces and risking their life in battle, gaining the responsibility of serving jury duty, and also being prosecuted as an adult for an offense. All of these things a person inherits once they have turned...
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...four countries that have kept their Minimum Drinking Age at 21. Due to the National Minimum Drinking Age (NMDA) being age 21, the United States has been removed from the category with the Advanced Western Nations and was lumped in with small countries like Pakistan, Qatar, Oman, etc. In order to find out why the United States is willing to be clumped with small, developing places like those above, many people have done research and conducted tests on various drinking related activities of both the past and the present. The research on the ongoing debate has found that while many people were for lowering the NMDA, there were just as many that were against lowering it. Back Ground Info During the Year 2009, various instances of vehicular deaths or accidents involving alcohol were documented. The statistics showed that the age group of 21- 24 held the highest percentage of fatal vehicular accidents with BAC levels being .08 or higher. This shows that regardless of the NMDA, newly fledged drinkers are the cause of most accidents. Courtney Carlson, an editor of The Californian says, “All European and many South and Central American countries have a legal drinking age of 18 or younger” (Carlson). Canada has a drinking age of 19; Germany has a drinking age of 16 for beer. These countries along with many others have a have NMDA of 18 or 19. Researchers were curious as to how the heavy drinking in Canada was compared to the drinking in the U.S. Courtney Carlson, editor for The Californian...
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...Edwin Muniz English 1010 Lowering the Legal Drinking Age There are many controversial topics in today’s news involving the younger generation. One of the most talked about topics is lowering the legal drinking age in the United States. Lowering the drinking age could have a really good impact on society as a whole. Although there are people that believe that lowering the age limit will have a really bad effect on the US, the good outweigh the bad. The drinking age being at 21, makes those underage look at alcohol sort of like the “forbidden fruit,” making them want to drink even more, sort of as a rite of passage. Lowering the drinking age to 18 seems almost undeniable considering that in the US, 18 is considered the age of adulthood. In the United States, turning 18 gives you the right to vote in elections, smoke tobacco, serve on juries, get married, sign legal contracts, be prosecuted as adults, and even join the military. Just imagine being 18 in the military, watching everyone 21 and older having a cold beer while you’re sitting there drinking water because you’re not old enough to drink alcohol. Not only are you risking your life being in the military like the others, you are also able to do everything the older members are able to do but, you absolutely cannot have an alcoholic beverage. In 1984 the U.S. Government raised the legal drinking age to 21 in an effort to decrease instances of drunk driving and related injuries and fatalities. However, this attempt...
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...Seminar 9 November 2010 Lowering the Legal Drinking Age Is Not the Solution “In 2005, about 10.8 million persons aged 12 to 20 (28.2 percent of this age group) reported drinking alcohol in the past month. Nearly 7.2 million (18.8 percent) were binge drinkers, and 2.3 million (6.0 percent) were heavy drinkers,” according to the agency, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in the Department of Health and Human Services. To solve this problem, would be to try to avoid it from happening, and that is, keeping the legal drinking age at twenty-one years old. The minimum drinking age has been an argument as to lowering the drinking age to 18. Candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich, from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, argues, “Of course, they should be able to drink at age 18, and they should be able to vote at age 16.” Then there are groups that have been formed such as, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, who are strongly against lowering the drinking age to 18 and fully support 21 to be the legal drinking age. Lowering the drinking age to 18 resulted in more car accidents, deaths, and harmful effects to the body at such a younger age. Having the legal drinking age at 21 is for everyone’s own safety and health, also less under age kids will and have the ability to drink. In the 1970’s the drinking age was 18 years old because it was thought if you could fight in the Vietnam War you should be able to drink. However, having the legal drinking age at 18 lead to an outrageous...
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...Underage Drinking Rebuttal Analysis Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Abstract Most college students in the U.S fall between the 18-21 age bracket. As is custom, the highlight of an active collegiate lifestyle is partying, where binge drinking is the highlight of the day. In retrospect, the legal drinking age still stands at 21. Some proponents for the lowering of the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 contend that at that age, one is appended adult-like responsibilities such as the right to make decisions on their own, joining the military, marrying and starting a family, to mention but a few. In this regard, these proponents argue that if one is considered responsible enough to be trusted with the safety of the country, why not be trusted enough to consume alcohol? This has been the subject of rife debate in recent times, as either side puts arguments and counterarguments forth. Introduction A 2008 article authored by John Cloud headlined “Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered?” published on Friday, June in Time argues that the legal drinking age should remain steady at 21, and should not be lowered to 18 as critics would like to have it. A particular statement that tickles my fancy was “It’s unclear why shifting the venue of drinking from frat houses to bars will help solve the problem of hard-core student drinking” (Cloud, 2008). Although Cloud presents a sound argument, it is more sensible to implement more methodical and all-encompassing alcohol education...
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...Underage Drinking Rebuttal Analysis Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Abstract Most college students in the U.S fall between the 18-21 age bracket. As is custom, the highlight of an active collegiate lifestyle is partying, where binge drinking is the highlight of the day. In retrospect, the legal drinking age still stands at 21. Some proponents for the lowering of the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 contend that at that age, one is appended adult-like responsibilities such as the right to make decisions on their own, joining the military, marrying and starting a family, to mention but a few. In this regard, these proponents argue that if one is considered responsible enough to be trusted with the safety of the country, why not be trusted enough to consume alcohol? This has been the subject of rife debate in recent times, as either side puts arguments and counterarguments forth. Introduction A 2008 article authored by John Cloud headlined “Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered?” published on Friday, June in Time argues that the legal drinking age should remain steady at 21, and should not be lowered to 18 as critics would like to have it. A particular statement that tickles my fancy was “It’s unclear why shifting the venue of drinking from frat houses to bars will help solve the problem of hard-core student drinking” (Cloud, 2008). Although Cloud presents a sound argument, it is more sensible to implement more methodical and all-encompassing alcohol education to...
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...“More than 25,000 lives have been saved in the U.S. with the legal drinking age remaining 21” (MADD 35). Drinking under the age puts a higher risk to both an individual and society especially the younger the person is. Early alcohol use may have long lasting consequences as well as develop problems for those of young age. I believe the drinking age remaining 21 helps the people of or around my age stay distant from endangerments all around. If our state decided to lower it today, in just weeks the increase of accidents would uprise throughout. Consumption of alcohol while or before driving increases the risk greatly of car accidents, highway injuries and vehicle deaths. “Statistics have shown an estimate of 32% of fatal car crashes involved an...
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...government activities such as voting or serving in the army. If we are considered adults at the age of 18 then we can fully face the consequences of any law that one might break. 18-year-olds are admitting to drinking before the age of 21 and nothing severe has happened to them. Young adults are fully capable of facing the consequences of breaking the law. A point that explains why the drinking age should be lowered is because 18-year-olds are able to legally marry, vote for office, join the army, own a house, etc. In the article, Should the drinking age be lowered:Pros and Cons“ 18-year-olds may vote in local, state, and federal elections, may serve on juries and may be charged as an adult if...
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...| How Old is Old Enough? | Drinking Age | | | 11/11/2011 | How old is old enough to have an alcoholic beverage? | How Old is Old Enough? The legal drinking age is a topic that has come up for, and will continue to come up for, many years. The main question that needs to be answered is what is it that determines when a person is able to drink. Should we continue to base the drinking level on age or should we look at other characteristics. Those enrolled in the military have special benefits when it comes to drinking. In the year of 2011, the legal drinking age in the United States for all non-military people is 21 years of age. There is research for both sides of the spectrum. Some believe that the age should be lowered from 21, while others believe 21 is the perfect age. Then there are the people who say that the drinking age should be taken even higher than 21. Some want the drinking age to be as high as 25. Will lowering the drinking age stop teens from binge drinking? If we take the drinking age higher, will it simply cause rebellion in the teen world? Many feel as though the law of 21 before drinking saves 1,000 deaths per year. The numbers of teens killed in alcohol related accidents have dropped somewhere from 11-16 percent since the 21 law have been implemented. Taking on higher drinking ages allows for a low intoxication level. For instance, in Georgia, where 21 is the legal drinking age, the blood alcohol level to be considered intoxicated is...
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...until the age of twenty-one. The United States is one of four other countries with a drinking age of twenty-one or higher. The other three are Indonesia, Mongolia and Palau (Gillespie). The government does not trust anybody under the age of twenty-one to consume alcohol but trusts them to die and kill for them. They also grant 18 year olds the right to marry, vote, pay taxes, take out loans, adopt a child and buy tobacco. The minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) should be lowered to eighteen to match the other responsibilities an eighteen year old is granted. The drinking age has been debated throughout history. Many states set the drinking age to eighteen to match the responsibilities given to them at that age after prohibition was ended. These ages were only raised because of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 put into effect by Ronald Reagan. If the states did not agree to this, they were cut back ten percent in their federal highway funds (Devon). The federal government states they give the right to control the drinking age to the state government. This does not make sense since they would cut back ten percent of their highway fund for just thinking about lowering the drinking age, which no state could survive without (Jolley). The supporters of the twenty- one drinking age believe that it has saved many lives. This is true to some degree. The deaths from drunk- driving accidents did go down, but some argue it wasn’t just the higher drinking age. Cars...
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