Essay On The Pros And Cons Of Lowering The Drinking Age

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A lot people question whether the legal drinking age should be lowered, or remain at 21. Some may think it isn’t such a good idea, because of the lack of maturity, and others may think it a good idea, because some people are going to do it anyway. However there are many pros and cons of lowering the legal drinking age. One pro is that the actual age where a person is considered to be an adult is 18. When a person turns 18 they’re considered to be legal, and have the right to make their own decisions. You’d think they’d also be able to make the decision to whether they want to consume alcohol. When turning 18 a person is granted the right to vote, smoke cigarettes, get married, serve on a jury, sign certain contracts, and other things. If a person is mature enough to make a …show more content…

More individuals would be able to drink at public places, which would increase the revenue for many businesses. Also greater amounts of tax revenue would be collected by the government (Engs1998). Although they’re many pros to lowering the drinking age there are also many cons. Just like all laws have good and bad things about them, so does the idea of lowering the drinking age. One con of lowering the drinking age is that it may interfere with the development of an young individual’s brain. Especially the frontal lobes, emotional regulation, planning, and also organization. When a young adult consumes alcohol it increases the potential of having chronic issues, like greater vulnerability to addiction. It also plays a role in depression, violence, and reduced decision making ability (Ives2008). Although it would increase revenue at businesses it will also increase the risk of drinking and driving. A lot of bartenders continue to sell drinks to a person that is clearly already highly under the influence. Their main concern at a club or bar is to make sure they are making money, not to ensure someone's