An organization called MADD(Mothers Against Drunk Drivers ) had the drinking age moved up from 18 to
An organization called MADD(Mothers Against Drunk Drivers ) had the drinking age moved up from 18 to
Young adults, who are between the ages of 18 and 19, have the right to fight and die for their country, yet they do not have the privilege to sit down and enjoy a beer with his or her family or friends legally. This is one of the most popular arguments spoken about when lowering the drinking age back to eighteen is brought up. In Dr. Ruth C. Engs essay “Why the drinking age should be lowered: An opinion based upon research,” she brings about very strong arguments that most people would not usually think of. Engs says that the drinking age should be lowered to 18 or 19.…
Eighteen is the age of adulthood in the U.S and adults then have the right to make their own decisions so why not about alcohol consumption? Turning 18 gives us the right and responsibility of adulthood. Being eighteen gives us the right to vote, smoke cigarettes, serves on juries, get married, sign contracts, be prosecuted as adults, and even join the military which includes risking our lives.…
The drinking age in the United States is 21. How ridiculous is that? You are able to do so many things at the age of 18. When a person reaches the age of 18, he or she can leave their homes or be kicked out, and become their own legal guardian. They no longer are required to have their parents sign their name to any documents pertaining to them, and are now considered an adult except when it comes to alcohol. When a person 18 or older commits a crime, they will be tried as an adult. Now the 18 year old no longer goes to Juvenile Hall when convicted of a crime, but instead they go to jail, state prison, federal prison, or even death row. At 18,…
The law should be changed to make it legal for people 18 years and older to be able to buy and/or drink alcohol. This needs to be accomplished by changing the law through your state government. The first step in doing this would be to draft a petition stating the drinking age should be 18. Then it is necessary to obtain signatures on the petition. After collecting signatures, the next step is to have a sponsoring committee submit the petition to the state government to have the law changed. If the law were to change for 18-year-olds to be able to drink and buy alcohol, they would have the exact same rights and responsibilities as 21-year-olds.…
One argument brought up for lowering the drinking age is that we mature based on experience rather than time, and that there may be little difference between ages 18 and 21, so why not just lower the age to 18. Although that is a good point, take this into consideration. Are freshman in college really as experienced and mature as students ready to graduate? Maybe some are, but "some" means there are exceptions. Do you really want those "exceptions" to be exposed to drinking if they are not ready for it? Because those same "exceptions" will be the ones causing accidents that could have been avoided. If we allow these people to drink, we are not allowing them to mature at their rate. Instead of taking chances, why don't we make sure we give everyone in this age group a chance to "grow up" and reach their full potential???…
In 1987 the United States passed a law mandating all states to have a twenty-one year old alcohol purchase age. This means over half of college students are not legal to buy alcohol. College kids are college kids though, and one way or another they are going to get their alcohol. Many people, myself included, believe that the legal drinking age should be changed from twenty-one to eighteen. “An 18-year-old is afforded, among other things, the right to vote, the right to marry, and the ability to serve in the military” (Engs, Heath, Levine, Smith). In the United States an eighteen year old is considered an adult, yet eighteen year olds are not completely treated like adults. They should be able to make their own choices at this age, and buying and consuming alcohol is one of these choices. Even with all the arguments, the legal…
According to the United States law, people age eighteen and above are considered adults. Likewise, other European countries and developed countries. Why should adults, then be barred from consuming alcohol?, Since adults are capable of making their own life decisions. The minimum age for drinking is set at twenty one in the us. This simply neglects adult choices, rights, desires, and wants. However, it is obvious in the society that alcohol is consumed by individuals age sixteen and above, for recreational uses. The law does not reflect the drinking population and the actual age in which it should be set. I personally started drinking at age fifteen, although…
In the U.S. the age of adulthood is 18. And with that comes many responsibilities and decisions that can now be made without consents. But there is still one thing a now young adult can’t decide on their own and that is if they will consume alcohol. The legal drinking age is not until you are 21 years of age. People argue that it should be lowered for it is an individual decision and 18 is old enough to make that decision. The legal drinking age should remain as is because the brain of a young adult is not fully developed till the age of 21.…
Do teens usually wait till the age of eighteen to begin consuming alcohol? If eighteen years of age is the legal age for adulthood, why can’t it be the legal age to begin drinking? Is the government contradicting themselves? Over the years studies have shown that most teens do not wait until the age of twenty-one to begin drinking. Lowering the drinking age to eighteen would allow eighteen to twenty year-olds to drink alcohol in safe places with supervision. Keeping teens from drinking in unsafe environments would lower the amount of drinking related car accidents. Also, individuals are viewed as adults at the age of eighteen. There are many privileges and responsibilities all within the realm of that adulthood. Eighteen year olds are allowed to smoke, be married, vote and more so why isn’t drinking on that list? I believe the legal age for drinking should be lowered to eighteen in order to provide a safe environment for teens, decrease the amount of drinking related accidents, and give eighteen year-olds the full amount of adulthood.…
Jack Smith Mrs. Bauch Speech 11, may 2016 Have you ever regretted drinking before being the age of 21? Many kids under the age of 21 die every year in the U.S. due to underage drinking. The purpose of this argument is to make young people aware of what things could happen to them by drinking at a young age. Research shows that if you stay away from alcohol as a middle schooler and high schooler your GPA tends to be much better than if you drink regularly (Windell).…
Bars and many dance clubs are strictly for those 21 and over due to the legal drinking age in America, so many legal adults are not permitted entry. Clearly a discrepancy exists between an 18 year old adult and a 21 year old adult; however, since they are viewed by law as equals shouldn't they have the same privileges (Daniel 140)? Obviously certain laws that regulate activities by age are necessary. Voting, alcohol, and driving should not be available to people of any age because of the amount of responsibility these activities require. However the segregation between younger and older adults is unwarranted. Up until 1984 the legal drinking age was 18, however Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) spurred a campaign to raise the age limit to 21. They succeeded with the passage of the National Minimum Purchase Age Act in 1984. The law aimed to lower the number of drunk driving accidents, which it has done, but only by a small margin. However, what it has also done is reduce the rights of citizens between the ages of 18 and 21. Americans hold personal freedom to be an undeniable right. The right to drink one's self into a drunken state still falls under the personal right category; however, this basic freedom is restricted by the implementation of the 1984 law. Instead of being able to have complete control over one's life when they reach the legal age of…
In their pamphlet and website, the National Youth Rights Association claims that United States should lower the drinking age from 21 to a younger age. They claim that at the age of 18, youth are able vote, serve their country and fly airplane. Therefore, they should be able to drink as well, since it is has less responsibility associated with it.…
Since the rise in the age of the legal age of drinking, it has driven underage drinking to…
Lowering the Drinking Age: A Problem or a Solution? Why is it that 18 year old citizens, like myself, can legally obtain a driver's license, register to vote, be forced into jury duty or a draft, can be tried as an adult and even be put to death, but cannot buy and consume alcoholic beverages legally? It is hard for me to comprehend as a young American that we can be permitted or subjected to perform actions that affect the lives of other people, but we are not allowed to have the freedom of choice on an issue that directly involves one's own life. By setting the standard drinking age at 21, a taboo was placed on alcohol for young people. Perhaps by settling the standard drinking age to 18 young adults would no longer see alcohol as the forbidden…
Why was the minimum drinking age in Minnesota changed from eighteen years old to twenty-one years old? In 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill that would change the minimum drinking age. With many alcohol-related injuries and deaths in teens, possible loss of federal funds, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) protests, the Minnesota Minimum Drinking Age Act changed the minimum drinking age from eighteen to twenty-one. As a result, people have become more educated, alcohol related injuries and deaths have declined, and the state has saved over twenty-two million dollars.…