Pros And Cons Of Lowering The Drinking Age

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Alcohol is a substance that is very dangerous and if used falsely or immaturely the repercussions can be catastrophic to the users or the people around them. Since alcohol is such a dangerous substance, almost everyone can agree that alcohol should not be given to people under the legal age of drinking. Lowering the drinking age has been a topic for decades with many people saying yes and many people saying no. In 1984, the Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed to ensure the safety of many citizens and reduce to the risk of millions dying from alcohol related accidents. Despite the legal drinking age staying at twenty-one, many people still argue on whether it should stay this way or be lowered to a younger age. The legal drinking age should not be lowered because …show more content…

You can gamble, you can vote and you can even serve in the army. So why can’t you drink alcohol,” Legally, they are an adult, but their brain has not reached the full maturity level to drink responsibly. “The rational part of a teen’s brain isn’t fully developed and won’t be until age 25 or so.” Lowering the drinking age could cause harmful effects in users under twenty-one. Alcohol consumption can interfere with the development of the young adult’s brain. Interfering with the brain’s development puts users at a larger risk for problems for addiction, reduction in thinking skills and violence. “A young person’s body cannot cope with alcohol the same way an adult’s can. Drinking is more harmful to teens than adults because their brains are still developing throughout adolescence and well into young adulthood. Drinking during this critical growth period can lead to lifelong damage in brain function, particularly as it relates to memory, motor skills (ability to move) and coordination.” This is putting young adults in great danger, so much danger that they could even potentially end up dead because of