If the legal drinking age should be lowered or stay the same is an issue that is constantly talked about. One side thinks that the law is counterproductive and can cause underage teens to binge drink. While the other side believe that the law saves lives and it would be dangerous to lower the drinking age. Both sides have research and statistics to back up their position. Many who disagree with the drinking age believe that when someone can pay taxes or enlist in the military they should be able to make their own decisions about drinking. On the contrary the opposing side believes that the legal drinking age of 21 causes less alcohol related deaths.
The pro-18 group believes a legal drinking age of 18 could be safer than 21 because as of
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They also use facts and studies to show that the drinking age saves many lives. Since the law was made many studies have shown us that 21 to drink saves people from binge drinking and drunk driving(Dean-Mooney, 1 ). It’s also a proven fact that brains don’t stop developing new paths to use until your mid 20’s and alcohol can mess with your cognitive abilities as well as memory. If a lower drinking age was established these people believe that teens would be more susceptible to diseases and other issues caused by alcohol(Dean-Mooney, 2). Another reason many people are skeptical is because there are many things that require you to be older than 18 though not by much. With a gun you must be 21, gambling differs between states, and tobacco’s legal age in 4 states is 19(Dejong, 2). There are some who believe that when it comes to on campus drinking issues the professors and staff need to increase their efforts to stop the problem of underage and binge drinking(Dejong, 2). This group believes the problem of binge drinking can’t be solved or helped by lowering the legal drinking