Debate about the Legal Age for Drinking

Do not lower the age of alcohol consumption. Put repeat offenders in jail! A major problem with the high age of alcohol consumption, coupled with high penalties for minors who drink, is that a minor drinker may remain in fear. For decades, since the days of Prohibition, many politicians, academics and parents have been involved in the debate over the age of alcohol – the question is whether the legal minimum age for alcohol consumption should be lowered from 21 to 18. The number of alcohol-related deaths has begun to rise alarmingly and a high percentage of young drivers involved has increased. Congress again pressured states to raise the age of alcohol consumption because of this surprising increase in highway deaths, and the legal drinking age at 21 (MLDA) was widely adopted nationwide beginning July 1, 1988. And if she had been arrested for causing an accident in which someone was injured or killed, rather than simply trying to use a fake ID, we suspect that the national media would have fallen to the other side of the debate about the lower age of alcohol consumption. Once you are 18, you are legally an adult. This freedom comes with many responsibilities. They can enter into legal contracts, be tried as adults and sent to an adult prison, and raise or adopt children. Eighteen-year-olds work in a number of jobs where the lives of other people are at stake, such as paramedics or firefighters. And, of course, they take on one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: active military service. Personally, I know that when something goes against the rules, it`s more fun to do it.

If the age of alcohol consumption were lowered, many teenagers probably wouldn`t even want to drink because it`s the norm. If the next generation of children grows up with the 18-year-old law, then it`s normal and drinking in adolescence won`t be as bad as it is today. The law on the consumption of alcohol at the age of 18 should never be adopted. Many rights in the United States are granted to citizens who are 21 years of age or older. A person cannot legally buy a handgun, play at a casino (in most states), or adopt a child until the age of 21, rent a car (for most companies) at the age of 25, or run for president until the age of 35. Alcohol consumption should be restricted in the same way because of the responsibility required for oneself and for others. [24] The age of alcohol consumption also leaves inexperienced drinkers without experienced friends and family to watch. This lack of support, combined with inexperience, increases the risk of sexual assault, unprotected sex and drunk driving.

Of course, alcohol can impair judgment and make people more vulnerable. But many of the negative consequences of drinking alcohol are less likely for a drinker who is under the supervision of responsible friends or family members – benefits we probably won`t have if we can only consume alcohol in secret. Libertarian groups and some conservative economic foundations, which view age limits as Washington`s blackmail, have long advocated lowering the age of alcohol consumption. But in recent years, many academics and bipartisan political groups have joined their cause for another reason: age restriction doesn`t work, they say. Alcohol consumption has continued behind closed and underground doors, where responsible adults cannot keep track of it. Newly legal drinkers often buy alcohol for their underage peers, resulting in a “trickle-down” effect. [34] Surveys show that the most common source of alcohol among 18- to 20-year-olds is their peers aged 21 to 24. [35] “The law was amended in 1984, and the law had a very specific purpose, which was to prohibit drinking before 21-year-olds,” he said. “The only way to measure the success of this law is to ask whether 23 years later, people under 21 are not drinking.” MLDA 21 encourages young adults to acquire and use false identity documents to obtain alcohol. At a time of national security concerns, including terrorism, illegal immigration and other threats, it would be better to have fewer fake IDs in circulation and to abide by the law.

[17] Declining death rates disputed The evidence widely touted by NTSB`s Rosenker, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and other activist groups is based on a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which estimated that from 1975 to 2003, a higher drinking age saved 22,798 lives on U.S. roads. There are a number of arguments as to why the legal drinking age in the United States, which is now set at 21 in most states, should be lowered, maintained the same, or increased. It is useful to have historical context about the age of alcohol consumption. The current federal limits, which only include the purchase of beers with very low alcohol content (about 3%) in some states, were set at 21 in 1984. Many States had temporarily lowered this age during the Vietnam War; Many soldiers enlisted in the war claimed that if they were old enough to fight or die for their country, they were certainly old enough to decide whether or not to drink alcohol. However, I do not think that 21-year-olds automatically have the opportunity to cope with their alcohol consumption. Several generations ago, people didn`t live that long, so 21 years would have been considered something that approached middle age, not early adulthood. Setting the age of alcohol consumption at 21 made sense when the average lifespan in the United States was about 50. Bhutan – The argument for lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 includes the fact that people who reach the age of majority of 18 are considered adults and can sign legal documents and even serve in the armed forces. Some people believe that lowering the drinking age can prevent medical emergencies and dangerous situations from getting worse or becoming deadly.

They say people who drink illegally are not allowed to call 911 if a friend is in trouble or if an accident has occurred because they are drinking, for fear of getting into trouble with the law or their family. Many may not be aware that most states have laws that protect them from legal consequences when reporting an emergency. [5] Tucker, Jeffery A. “The age of alcohol consumption should be lowered, quickly.” Newsweek. Excerpt from www.newsweek.com/drinking-age-should-be-lowered-fast-356715 March 16, 2016 The evidence for maintaining the age of alcohol consumption at 21 is so overwhelming that we doubt that the debate would have resurfaced if Jenna Bush had been just another student and not the young and attractive daughter of the President of the United States. This would keep it illegal for high school students and legal for most students. Choose Responsibility and its allies face a difficult task to convince the public. In a Gallup poll released last week, 77 percent of Americans opposed lowering the drinking age to 18. But Seaman argued that it was the wisdom of the drinker that mattered, not his age. Whether the minimum legal drinking age is 18 or 21, we must recognize that many young adults and adolescents drink alcohol and even engage in excessive alcohol consumption. And most importantly, we need to recognize that proper education is important for young adults to make safe and intelligent decisions about their own behavior.