When the drinking age has been lowered, injury and death rates significantly increased. Lowering the drinking age would
“There’s No Benefit to Lowering the Drinking Age” explains, on average about eleven teens die daily as a result of drunk driving (Voas 464). When teens throw a party, alcohol is usually involved. Then once the party is over the kids have to get home somehow and they often drive themselves. When an alcoholic drink is placed in an eighteen-year-old hand decisions are made that harm them and others
There has been many discussions all over the United States is whether they should change the drinking age from twenty-one to eighteen. Most teens will argue that they should change the age because they can go to a store or a gas station and they can buy a pack of cigarettes, a black n mild, play the lottery at the age of eighteen so they will ask so why can they not buy a beer or alcohol at the age of eighteen. Underage drinking has been out of control in the United States because teenager use fake identification cards and they will also try to go to the club with their identification card. As a teenager when I was in high school I have proof that these things happen not only in college but high school it happens more often than college students. What is
"In general, the younger people start to drink the safer they are," said Heath, who has written several books and hundreds of scholarly articles on cultural attitudes towards alcohol. When introduced early, he said, "Alcohol has no mystique. It's no big deal. By contrast, where it's banned until age 21, there's something of the 'forbidden fruit' syndrome." and if the United States has learned anything from not letting people drink it is that it does not last very long and that the citizens always find a way around the system and break the laws like how gas stations still sell alcohol to minors just like most gas stations sell cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, dip, chaw, chew, chewing tobacco, vapor cigarettes, hookah, hookah pens.
Over the years, there have been debates about lowering the drinking age in the United States to eighteen. People argue that if a person can fight in the military or vote in elections, then he or she should be allowed the right to drink alcohol. Others feel that it is not wise to lower the legal drinking age because the results would be dangerous. Although there are arguments for lowering the drinking age, there is also an abundance of research that proves lowering the drinking age would be destructive. The legal drinking age should not be lowered to eighteen because it will give high school and even middle school students greater access to alcohol, interfere with brain development, adult rights begin at twenty-one, and increase traffic accidents among the youth.
When the Minimum Legal Drinking Age changed to 21 years old in 1976, there was a decrease in fatal car accidents which saved approximately 21,887 lives (Alcohol Policy MD). Many lives were saved because there were less young drinkers and less people driving under the influence of alcohol. If it were possible to save lives, why wouldn’t you want to do that? An argument is made that if teenagers are allowed the responsibility to drive when they are 16 years old why can’t they drink at an earlier age? This is simply because Alcohol can put people in danger.
In 1984, the federal drinking age was raised to twenty-one. Since that time, there have been many positive results, such as the increase of brain activity in the frontal lobe of young people before the drinking age. However, there have also been some negative effects such as an increase of binge drinking near the legal age to drink. As over 100 colleges presidents who favor considering the federal drinking age point out, college students are binge drinking to the point of passing out and potentially dying of alcohol poisoning. MADD and others, however, argue against lowering the drinking age, noting that young adults and alcohol do not mixed because it can result in drunk driving which leads to accidents that can kill or maim people.
This law changed to 21 because all states would “lose a certain percentage of federal highway dollars” (“Frequently Asked”). Not only that but the rates of excessive drinking went up, along with drunk driving. Driving alone is hard enough, especially if the person is a new driver, but add alcohol and there is a very deadly mix. Being able to legally drink at the age of “21 decreased the number of fatal traffic accidents for 18- to 20-year-olds by 13% and saved approximately 27,052 lives from 1975-2008” (“Should the Drinking Age”). Since there have been less drunk driving accidents when the minimum age for drinking changed to 21, it is a safer environment if the drinking age is left at 21 instead of being
Over the years , a research has been conducted by the Public Health ,James .C saying that “ young adults react differently to alcohol, getting drunk faster and being less likely to know when to stop”(2013, Pg: ½). That is why the legal drinking age in Ontario has been changed many times starting off with “ 21 and then we lowered it to 18 and then we raised it to 19, because when we reduced it, Alcohol-related deaths among young people skyrocketed”(2013, Pg: ½). Ontario thought that changing the drinking age in 1971 from 18-21 would be a good choice since “the eight provinces before in 1960’s were the age 21” (2013, Pg: ½).
When it comes to alcohol they are still just kids. Where’s the fairness in the age being 21 and not 18? Why is 21 the "magical" age that makes one intelligent and mature enough to consume alcohol? Surely, some adults abuse alcohol and some teenagers would be perfectly able to drink responsibly. Accidents will happen no matter what age you start drinking it.
It has instead pushed underage binge drinking into private and less controlled environments, leading to more health and life-endangering behaviors by teens. If the legal drinking age was lowered, those teens would be able to drink in a more controlled and much more safe environment where they can be monitored and supervised. Then they will be less likely to harm themselves or others. The second argument that is used is that there are fewer drunk driving accidents in countries with lower drinking ages. In quite a few countries around the world, the legal drinking age is already 18.
People will oppose to this law, but at the age of 18 an adolescent's brain is not fully developed yet. Underage drinking is a common action in today’s society. What kids do not know is the effect that underage drinking has on their brain. Since the brain is not fully developed at the age of 18, drinking
Alcohol Age Limit Would you rather the drinking age limit be lower, higher, or does it even matter? The legal drinking age limit should stay at 21, it is a pretty mature age to handle alcohol and the age limit is always changing. Under aged kids always find a way to obtain alcohol, and often times parents do not care and they’ll buy their kids alcoholic drinks. Does this law really change anything?
Across the country, college students participate in an illegal activity known as underage drinking. The drinking age in America is an ongoing debate of whether it should be kept at 21, or reduced to 18. While some believe lowering the drinking age would make drinking for young kids safer, others presume the opposite. According to Alexis Aguirre, a journalist at the Texas State University Star, “The legal drinking age should be lowered to 18. Once 18, a person is legally considered an adult and should be able to drink.”
Society places laws to protect individuals. The rise of alcohol abuse raises the question if the minimum legal drinking age of 21 secures protection of the people. With proper enforcement of drinking laws in addition to education about alcohol, the minimum legal drinking age of 18 provides a safer drinking culture. President Ronald Reagan signed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act in 1984. All states in the time
