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Pros And Cons Of Lowering The Drinking Age

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Over the years the controversial question, “Should the drinking age be lowered back down to 18?”, is constantly contemplated. One reason this should be changed is, there are no age restrictions at this age except for buying and drinking alcohol. Also, at the age of 18, Americans can vote, buy tobacco products, join the armed forces, drive, marry, and even get sentenced to death. Second, questions arise about possible addiction, lower brain activity at a younger age, and a higher rate of alcohol poisoning death. Lastly, by passing this, it will show more responsibility of an adult because currently, the government’s drinking laws are not being followed. The drinking age should be lowered to 18 years old in the United States due to the fact all Americans are considered an adult at this age. When you turn 18 years of age, there are no restrictions to purchase anything except alcohol. At the age of 18 you can purchase …show more content…

The debate that Lesley Stahl examined on 60 Minutes televised on CBS News, received mixed views from people she interviewed. Chuck Hurley the executive of The Mothers Against Drunk Drinking, MADD, was a major force behind raising the drinking age to 21 in 1984 due to increased traffic fatalities by drunk teenage drivers. After the drinking age was raised to 21, the number of traffic fatalities among 18 – 20 year olds declined 13%. When I personally interviewed my mother and boyfriend, they had the same response as to change the law. They both agreed the law does not make sense due to how all the other laws find a person an adult at the age of 18. My boyfriend finds it ridiculous that you can take a bullet fighting this country, but not considered mature enough to drink alcohol. My mom feels that if you can be held responsible for all other criminal acts as an adult then you should be held responsible for the responsibility of consuming

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987 Words | 4 Pages

In this article there are two sides to the debate of whether or not the states should be able to set their own drinking age. The pro side, represented by John McCardell says that if eighteen year olds are capable of being drafted for a war, they should be able to legally drink as well. The con side James C. Fell says that a lower drinking ages hel a higher risk of suicide and homicide, and thus keeping the drinking age at twenty one would be preventing nearly twelve hundred suicides and homicides combined. Things cannot always be easy, and this debate that the article focuses on is no exception. Throughout the history of America there have always been disputes of just how much power the federal government should be able to wield, and how much they should be able to limit the state's power.

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301 Words | 2 Pages

18 year olds are legal to smoke, why not let them drink as well? The drinking age should not be lowered to 18 because 18 year olds are not mature enough. Most 18 year olds are still in high school, and still living with their parents. They would rather be at a party drinking, than be at home studying or doing homework. 18 year olds are already legal to smoke, there

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370 Words | 2 Pages

In the 1970’s the drinking age was raise from 18 to 21 the reason the government pass this law was to stop drinking and driving. The government believes that adults 21 were more responsible to not drink and drive. However, why do we still have such a problem with drinking and driving in America? That a drinking age of 21 did not solve our problem.

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633 Words | 3 Pages

Currently the legal drinking age is 21, and there have been many controversial debates on whether to lower the age or not. However, there are both pros and cons to this topic. One of the biggest argument in favor of lowering the drinking age is that in United States, an eighteen years old can do so many things then why not drinking. For example, an 18 years old can vote for the presidential elections, have license to drive, pay taxes, marr, can be a legal guardian, own a gun, fight in a war, and can be a governor of a state. When an 18 years old is allowed to do all of the following above then why not allowed to be drinking.

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829 Words | 4 Pages

There has always been the conflict over whether or not the legal drinking age should be changed. Some people protest that by lowering the drinking age younger people know what to expect about the effects of alcohol when they get older. Others believe drinking at a young age can lead to addiction and alcoholism, liver failure, and other serious problems thus increasing death rates and alcoholics. There are more serious negative outcomes that happen with teen drinking such as drunk driving and unintentional terrible decision making. ( Con 2016)

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499 Words | 2 Pages

Drinking Age! I am going to talk to you about what I think about the topic of if you can fight for our country at the age of eighteen then why they can’t legally drink. I will tell you my three supporting ideas on what I think about the whole deal. I am going to have to say that I am on the side to not lower the drinking age. Reasons being are the human brain is not fully developed until the 20s, second reason is cause the United States doesn’t need even young kids start drinking younger, and the last reason it shouldn’t be lowered is because that would mean colleges would be a lot more hectic and everyone would show up to classes drunk or hung over.

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904 Words | 4 Pages

The controversy about the drinking age has been a well argued topic for many years. This argument first started in 1971 when the drinking age was lowered to eighteen in the United States. When death tolls began to rise significantly, many states reverted back to the old drinking age. Shortly after, in 1984, national law made the legal age for alcohol consumption twenty-one again (“Minimum Drinking”). Many people agreed with the reversion of the drinking age, yet there were some who did not.

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1204 Words | 5 Pages

With this new-found freedom, there is the question, should 18-year old individuals be allowed to buy and drink alcohol? Some individuals believe this would help with counteracting the alcohol abuse by teenagers in our society. With the immaturity and lack of experience that 18-year-old teenagers have, if the drinking age were to be lowered to 18, the problems will only get worse for the society that we live in today and in the future. When you start to consider the

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1177 Words | 5 Pages

Why the drinking age should not be lowered As we all know and understand, alcohol has to be handled with responsibility and not to be misuse. Alcoholism affects so many people in the United States due to irresponsible decisions, but most legally teens who are considered adults say, once you are eighteen, you should be able to do whatever you want because you gained more civil rights by being able to vote, purchase tobacco products and join the forces so why not be allowed to purchase alcohol products and consume it. At the age of eighteen, teens are viewed as adults that supposed to mature enough to purchase all the above wish list they have written down.

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738 Words | 3 Pages

Should the legal age for alcohol consumption be lowered? In the United States, The legal drinking age is 21, but in my research, I have found that it is actually allowed, under certain circumstances and situations, to people of even lower age. Though all 50 US states have set their minimum drinking age to 21, exceptions do exist on a state-by-state basis for consumption at home, under adult supervision, for medical necessity, and other reasons. In fact, all but 5 states, Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, New Hampshire, and West Virginia, under age drinking is permitted. Parents are allowed to furnish alcohol to minors if they are under proper supervision.

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994 Words | 4 Pages

The American government has had a history of aggressively regulating alcohol consumption. In the 1920s, religious groups spearheaded the Prohibition movement, and even after the Depression, people couldn't get a drink when they needed it most. For too long have we held our young adults from drinking until twenty-one. Eighteen is the age of adulthood in the United States, and adults should have the right to make their own decisions about alcohol consumption. It should not be up to the government to tell legal adults what they can or cannot put in their bodies.

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634 Words | 3 Pages

By doing this, he says, parents educate their kids about alcohol and rob drinking of its taboo allure” (Heath). This piece of evidence further supports the claim that lowering the drinking age to eighteen would have a monumental impact. Allowing people to drink earlier at an age where they will still be living with their family will reduce the urges to drink, thus lowering a large percentage of college students and teenagers becoming

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1834 Words | 8 Pages

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.

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686 Words | 3 Pages

Lowering the drinking age is a popular argument, simply because many individuals believe it would cause an increase of drinking and driving accidents ,but others believe it would lower underage consumption. Because there is a possibility that a change in the legal drinking age law could occur, “this law has been one of the most studied in our history” (Dean- Mooney 1). A large amount of our population in the United States consume alcohol, therefore many individuals have a strong opinion as to which way the law will go. Lowering the drinking age to 18 would solve the many different problems of underage drinking, rather than create more of the problems. Underage drinking is one of the largest and most common problems on college campuses in the United States, and lowering the legal drinking age from twenty- one to eighteen-years-old would help manage the situation.

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1423 Words | 6 Pages

Some states are considering reducing the age at which a person can drink to 18 again. People are all over the idea that once you are 18, you can indulge in an alcoholic beverage. But, decreasing the age creates a whole new array of problems most people are not aware of. Drinking at a young age puts teens and other motorists at risk, so the legal drinking age should not be lowered to 18 to protect our nation’s youth.

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