ipl-logo

Pros And Cons Of Lowering The Drinking Age

1016 Words5 Pages

Since 1989 when the MLDA (Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21) was increased from 18 to 21, law enforcement has admitted that its prosecution is not a priority for most law agencies. "This law has been an abysmal failure," John McCardell, a former president of Middlebury College told 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl. "It hasn't reduced or eliminated drinking. It has simply driven it underground, behind closed doors, into the most risky and least manageable of settings.” Lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 would not only lower the amount of illegal binge drinking, but it would also help 18 year olds learn to manage additional responsibility at a younger age. If 18 year olds can hold jobs, enlist in the military, vote and drive cars then why can’t they be trusted to have a drink? Moana Jagasia, a Duke University sophomore from Singapore where the drinking age is lower, said,“There isn't that much difference in maturity between ages 18 and 21," and "If the age is lower, you're getting exposed to drinking at a younger age and you don't freak out when you get to college." Indiana University professor Ruth Engs released a 1989 study showing that young adults' alcohol abuse actually increased markedly after the nationwide raising of the drinking age. In 20 years of studies, she's repeatedly found that significantly …show more content…

The percentage of underage drinkers has decreased since 1984 when most MLDA 21 laws came into effect. Studies indicate that when the drinking age is 21, those younger than 21 drink less and continue to drink less through their early 20s, and that minors who do not drink until they are 21 tend to drink less as adults. This may be correct, but by lowering the drinking age, teens would be able to drink in public places where others could keep an eye on

Show More
Related
863 Words | 4 Pages

Should the Minimum Legal Drinking Age be lowered from 21? There are many arguments about the Minimum Legal Drinking Age 21 (MLDA21) in the United States. One says that we should maintain MLDA21 because alcohol is bad for young people. Young people does not have prudent mind, so they tend to fall into a drunk driving.

Read More
373 Words | 2 Pages

In 19854, Congress set the American drinking age to 21 with the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. If the states did not want to raise the drinking age, they would lose 10% of their highway funds. Congress extrapolated, with a higher drinking age, less drunk driving would occur. Although there intentions were good, it has not solved any problems and likely, created more. Truthfully, most teenagers begin to drink well before their 21st birthday.

Read More
1064 Words | 5 Pages

According to the chart, most of the drinking is being done by teens. The chart depicts that only a small amount of youths wait until they are legal to start drinking. Lowering MLDA will encourage and increase the amount of drinking among young teens. It will also lead to an increase in risky behavior which will have dire consequences for youth. “Letting younger people drink is giving immature citizens more of the ability to make bad decisions that not only affect themselves but can also be very harmful to others”.

Read More
782 Words | 4 Pages

Teenagers are responsible enough for the drinking age to be lowered from 21 to 18 due to their legal freedom, knowledge of the lies protecting MLDA 21, and their rebellious nature.

Read More
469 Words | 2 Pages

“National alcohol prohibition from 1920 to 1933 failed, which shows that strict regulation of drinking is counterproductive, unenforceable, and can lead to an increase in illegal and underground activities” (Mintz 1). We are sending the wrong message to society as well. Even when you turn age 21 you’re still not educated enough on what excessive drinking does to your body. For instance, when you get your driver license, you don’t just get the keys and let you figure it out for yourself. You learn over time, take tests, and really get a feel of what you’re getting yourself into before you go out and drive on your own.

Read More
1204 Words | 5 Pages

Since this law was put into effect there has been a dramatic decrease in alcohol related traffic deaths among 16-20-year-old. The number of deaths decreased from 5,244 in 1982 to 1,987 in 2008. (NIH) With facts like this, it’s hard to believe that lowering the MLDA back down to 18 would be anything but a backward move, and create more heartbreak for parents and society in general, when deaths in teenagers would once again rise to an unacceptable level. As a society of intelligent people this should be easily understood, and not even be a question of whether or not to lower the MLDA.

Read More
888 Words | 4 Pages

Although some say lowering the minimum legal drinking age, or MLDA, will only cause more underage drinking and harm the adolescent brain, the MLDA should be lowered to 18 because the legal age of adulthood is 18, and lowering the legal drinking age will cut down on underage drinking, increase responsible drinking, and decrease drunk driving accidents. In Illinois, teenagers get a permit one year before they can legally drive a car on their own, this teaches responsibility and accountability while driving, so why do we not learn how to drink responsibly? Why, on our 21st birthdays do we all go out and get so blackout drunk that our friends have to carry us home? The issue here is that teens are not taught how to drink responsibly so there

Read More
738 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
834 Words | 4 Pages

If the MLDA is lowered from 21,that means it would give high schoolers and middle schoolers even easier access to alcohol. Newly legal drinkers often purchase drinks that contain alcohol for their underage peers. This is also known as the trickle down effect. Surveys show that 21-24 year olds often purchase alcohol for 18-20 year olds (34,35). Although this may be true,the MLDA 21 law encourages the young adults that are not 21 to use fake ID’s to buy alcohol.

Read More
595 Words | 3 Pages

In the 1970s, the drinking age had been lowered to 18, in all 50 states, due to demand and influence by other states. This had increased the drunk driving rate by 30% and during this time, it caused the highest drunk driving accidents in a lot of the American history (Issues & Controversies). This isn’t something that needs or wants to be repeated by lowering the drinking age once again. To start, one reason to not lower the drinking age is it could increase the chances of drug use. If the MLDA was lowered from 21 to 18 it would cause people to irresponsibly drink in nightclubs, not be as safe when in this environment, and could also easily increase the risk of drug use (Procon).

Read More
1359 Words | 6 Pages

Megan Abba, Editor in chief at Chapman University, says that “40 percent of all college students binge drink” (Abba). She talks about how college students under 21 would drink before they leave and if college students could buy alcohol it would lessen the pressure to drink before leaving the house. Drinking before leaving the house causes some college students to black out and have alcohol poisoning because of the amount of alcohol consumed. Megan also says that “in European countries where the drinking age is mainly 18, one in 10 drinking occasions result in intoxications” (Abba). Lowering the drinking age would promote safer drinking habits, However, evidence supports alcohol should not be readily available for teens and young adults.

Read More
1155 Words | 5 Pages

Teenagers have been purchasing alcohol with fake ID cards, getting into bars and clubs, and drinking liquor illegally for years. Lowering the minimum legal drinking age to 18 would be a helpful and effective step in stopping binge drinking and encouraging the enjoyable act of consuming alcohol, reducing traffic accidents, and allowing those in the 18-to-20 year old age

Read More
751 Words | 4 Pages

Also, people against lowering the legal drinking age agree that underage consumption of alcohol still occurs, but it still prevents less teenagers from drinking alcohol than if the MLDA was 18. It only makes sense, if the legal drinking age were 18, more teens will be consuming alcohol than there currently are for the sole reason of

Read More
786 Words | 4 Pages

Lowering the drinking age in the United States has been an ongoing debate since the National Minimum Drinking Age law passed in 1984, requiring someone to be 21 years of age to drink or purchase alcohol. The bill was thought of by Mothers against Drunk Driving (MADD) and was eventually set into a law by President Ronald Reagan. The main stand point of this law is to lower Drinking and Driving accidents, but the law and people for the law do not see other effects of one of the highest minimum drinking ages in the world. Lowering the minimum drinking age can offset binge drinking, alcoholism, and so much more.

Read More
1070 Words | 5 Pages

Lowering the drinking age: risky or safe? When teenagers turn 18, they are told that they are adults and are sent into the world. They go to college, get a job, marry or join the military. They do grown-up things like vote, pay taxes and become parents, but they can 't go to the bar for a beer.

Read More

More about Pros And Cons Of Lowering The Drinking Age

Related Topics

Open Document