Lower Legal Drinking Age Essays - 1249 Words

Since the states increased their drinking age to 21 in 1987, every citizen of this country between the ages of 18 and 20 have been oppressed by the very people elected to power to protect their rights. It is evident that the legal drinking age among Americans should be lowered to the legal age of adulthood, 18 years. At this age, any American can marry without their Parent’s approval and can move out of their guardian’s house and live on their own. Why are these adults deprived of their right to consume alcohol? A police officer unexpectedly arrived at a party where many young adults were drinking alcoholic beverages. He asked to see two young gentlemen’s identification to prove that they were of legal age to be consuming. Both were†¦show more content†¦Is it plausible to assume that these adults are going to just give up their civil liberties so easily? â€Å"An examination of East Carolina University students intentions regarding their behavior follow ing passage of the 21-year-age drinking law revealed that only 6% intended to stop drinking, 70% planned to change their drinking location, 21% expected to use a false or borrowed identification to obtain alcohol and 22% intended to use other drugs† (Hanson, â€Å"The Legal Drinking Age† par. 4). The current law is simply not feasible. It infringes upon millions of American’s constitutional rights while inadvertently increasing the amount of alcohol that is consumed, and offering a proposed solution that clearly will not be achieved. Others have proposed that it might be more acceptable and reasonable to allow people within the ages 18 and 20 to drink only when in the presence of their legal guardians, but this is obviously not realistic in the least. No parent can be held responsible for their son or daughter to any further extent when they become a legal adult. Changing the minimum drinking age to 18 is the only honest and justifiable resolution that will be re ached. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;This paper’s intention is not to argue thatShow MoreRelatedThe United States Should Lower the Legal Drinking Age to Eighteen1930 Words   |  8 PagesThe United States’ minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) of twenty one is almost a perfect example of a policy with unrealistic expectations and serious unintended consequences. The current policy that the United States has in effect criminalizes youth who consume alcohol at less than twenty one years of age. Young adults are going to drink under twenty one, so why shouldn’t the United States lower the MLDA to eighteen? Following Prohibition in 1933, many states made their MLDA twenty one. During theRead MoreIts Time To Lower the Legal Drinking Age Essay example2055 Words   |  9 Pagesthere have been many deaths due to alcohol. If it w ere not for the lack of education of alcohol abuse, many of the accidents could be prevented. The U.S’s biggest problem that Americans are facing is underage drinking. In our society we see many young teenagers that begin to drink at an early age of 10. They want to experience it without knowing the health risk factors that are associated with alcohol. There are many problems occurring because of alcohol abuse. In America the misuse of alcohol causesRead MoreWhy Lower the Legal Drinking Age?801 Words   |  3 Pagesthat lower the drinking age below 21 lose 10% of their annual federal highway appropriations (Haevens). This is the main reason the legal drinking age has not been lower below 21 years of age.a large number of the general population desires a lower drinking age. In the 25 years since the legal drinking age was set at 21, seven states have tried to lower it. (Wechsier ).It is unfair for the federal government to withhold money from states if they exercise their rights to set the legal drinking ageRead MoreTo Lower or Not to Lower the Legal Drinking Age to 18, That Is the Question881 Words   |  4 Pagesthat binge drinking is on the rise among college students (Eisenberg n.p.). With an increase of alcohol consumption by underage drinkers, it only seems logical to lower the drinking age to prevent binge drinking, however there are far more consequences to be seen. Lowering the drinking age to 18 will not solve the binge drinking problem among college students but will cause more problems. In this paper I will explain the reason why lowering the drinking age wi ll not stop binge drinking and the adverseRead MoreDo not Lower the Legal Drinking Age825 Words   |  3 Pagesinfringing on personal rights. It’s regarding whether the legal drinking age should be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen. This has been a huge controversy geared exclusively towards college students due to the fact that alcohol consumption at universities is the definitive part of campus life even though the greater part of students are not legally permitted to drink. It is apparent that through the regularity and risks of binge drinking across universities and the high percentage of DUI and alcoholRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be Abolished1634 Words   |  7 Pagestheir own legal drinking age. In 1984 the National Minimum Drinking Age act was passed and raised the drinking age in the United States to twenty-one. This law caused uproar in states that had declared the minimum drinking age to be eighteen. Alcohol consumption is a major factor in cultural a nd social matters and the National Minimum Drinking Age has affected everybody. This law is unjust because of many reasons. One of the most prominent reasons is that it is an ex-post facto law. The legal drinkingRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States1479 Words   |  6 Pages The legal drinking age in the United States has been argued for many decades. The current minimal legal drinking age is twenty-one but some want to lower between eighteen and twenty. The main focus of the research conducted and opinions of people are based on the minimal legal drinking age of eighteen. The research is taken from the 1970s, when the twenty-sixth Amendment was passed in the Constitution (Wagenaar, 206). It was stated that eighteen is the â€Å"age of majority†, so thirty-nine of theRead MoreBinge Drinking vs the Drinking Age Essays829 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish 101 March 13, 2013 Binge Drinking VS the Drinking Age Presidents of college campuses around the nation face issues of underage drinking and binge drinking on a regular basis and realizes that it is a danger and a problem. â€Å"Alcohol consumption is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., a major contributing factor to unintentional injuries, the leading cause of death for youths and young adults, and accounts for an estimated 75,000 or more deaths in the United States annually† (WechslerRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be 18957 Words   |  4 Pages On the topic of the appropriate legal drinking ago, I stand firm on the belief that the legal drinking age should be 18. In every other aspect in America, an 18 year old person is considered an adult, legally and morally. So why aren’t these adults allowed to legally drink? 18 year old adults are permitted live on their own, vote, gamble, purchase cigarettes, and fight in a war. There is not denying the fact that teenagers are exposed to drinking prior to t heir 18th birthday, and many drinkRead MoreIncrease in the Legal Drinking Age870 Words   |  3 PagesAnother reason why the legal drinking age was changed is because of the fact that the adolescent brain is not fully developed; it is supposed that â€Å"excessive alcohol intake causes brain damage† in teens. However, in order for damage to occur, the drinking has to be extremely excessive. If there are only a few of these extreme bingeing â€Å"episodes,† they do no harm to the adolescent brain (Minimum Drinking Age). David J. Hanson, a professor at the University of New York at Potsdam, states, â€Å"There’s