Though not all of the authors references are backed up or clearly stated as having come from an actual, truthful, or real source, he makes a strong argument. From his references to the laws in Vermont and New Hampshire, the military, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to rates and laws in other countries as well as the United States, Voas is convincing in his argument. In the end of Voas 's article, after making numerous references as well as…
In Italy, France, and Spain it's 16. In New Zealand it's 18. In the United States it's 21, and in places such as China and Portugal there isn't one at all. But what is this I'm talking about? It's the legal drinking ages of countries around the world.…
Although the initiative opens up a popular discussion, Congress, however, does not share this desire to open this topic up for conversation. In 1984, Thorson 2 Organizations such as M.A.D.D. (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) are already frowning upon the institutions that, assuming the current laws will not be enforced, have shown their support for the Amethyst Initiative. It was stated in September 5th, 2008, in the University of Connecticut’s Daily Campus paper that many schools signed the Amethyst Initiative, but Thorson 3 President Michael Hogan at the University of Connecticut (UConn) did not agree. According to Lisa Troyer, Hogan’s Chief of Staff, he examined the proposition very carefully and considered the issue of binge drinking among college students, not only at UConn but at campuses all across the country. The fault Hogan found with the initiative is that, despite its encouragement for open discussion, he found that it prematurely suggests a solution of lowering the drinking age. Troyer expressed that there was a lack of scientific evidence indicating that this will result in a safer environment for students and a better overall outcome for universities. While this is a valid argument, a lot has changed concerning the ways that students are being educated in the dangers of drunk driving and alcohol consumption. It is not always an issue of statistics and studies revolving the legal drinking age, but a question of at what point students have enough information to make informed decisions and are considered mature enough to have this privilege. At this point, actions are being taken to fund programs in colleges that are used to educate students on binge drinking and how to be responsible. The Department of Education is stressing college campus programs that are designed to prevent binge drinking and violent behavior committed by students by providing the funding for the programs. In receiving this funding,…
Each year, there is talk as to whether underage is that big of deal and if the drinking age should be lowered, raised, or just remain the same. I feel as if underage drinking is not okay and many unnecessary deaths are caused each year because of teens engaging in underage drinking. If anything, raising the drinking age to twenty five years of age would help ensure less deaths due to drunk driving or DUI’s. Therefore, laws against underage drinking should still be enforced and the drinking age should be raised in order to prevent more death or any other negative effects associated with underage drinking. Now, there are many reports of deaths due to underage drinking.…
There was a big debate on whether or not the minimum drinking age should be lowered. The media gave this debate a lot of attention. It’s not about the age it’s about the decisions they make with alcohol at a very young adult age. I do like the argument if you are old enough to serve our country and die for your country then you should be able to drink at that age. After all the research I have done and retrieved information I have found, they do have a lot of good evidence to keep the age the same way it is.…
“’Drinking is Fun’ and ‘There’s Nothing You Can Do About It’: The Problem With the 21-Year-Old Minimum Drinking Age” an essay by Dr. Reginald Fennell, found in the Journal of American College Health, focuses on the effects of the minimum drinking age on college students. Fennell explains the benefits of lowering the drinking and gives alternatives to the current law. This article is of interest to readers since society seems to have a strong opinion of whether the drinking age should remain the same or be lowered. When a teenager turns eighteen, they have all the legal rights of an adult with the exception of consuming and purchasing alcohol. The author feels strong about his opinion. Fennell is not only an editor for the Journal of American College Heath, but he is also a professor at Miami University in Ohio where he teaches health classes. By speaking to his college students, and also having been a student himself, Fennell knows first-hand the experiences and actions of students on college campuses.…
The debate about whether the legal drinking age should be raised or lowered is a common debate in the public domain. The decision on what age one begins drinking is determined by various factors which involve the gene combination of the person and the immediate environment around the person (Vingilis and Smart 415). For instance, the changes that adolescents go through in their biology and physiology can influence the age at which they start drinking alcohol. The behavior of a child influences his environment as the child gets to make friends and these influence the age at which the child can start to experiment with alcohol. Raising or lowering the legal drinking age is bound to raise major concerns. This will be a major concern for parents whose children are directly affected by the issue.…
Good Morning, the issue I have chosen is if we should raise the drinking age to 21.…
All fifty states set their minimum drinking age back to twenty one in the 1980’s because they felt that eighteen wasn’t the appropriate age. Some people did not agree with this change because at the age of eighteen people can vote, drive cars, fly planes, pay taxes, marry, become a legal guardian, own a gun, risk their lives a member of the U.S. armed forces. Honestly, today the drinking age doesn’t matter, whatever the age a person will always try and find a way to drink. Even though some believe the drinking age should be lowered because that way students and young teens won't binge drink and will know how to handle their alcohol better, lowering the drinking age is not a good idea and can cause harm to others. Teens will end up taking advantage of this and it’s a health risk.…
More than twenty one thousand lives have been saved with the drinking age being twenty one. For about 10 years in the early 1900’s, our country ratified the 18th amendment which banned the production and consumption of alcohol. This amendment led to extreme crime, violence, and even speakeasies. Our country realized that it wasn’t the best idea for prohibition, and we then ratified the 21st amendment that repealed the 18th amendment. The 21st amendment has helped prevent car related tragedies in the 18-20 age group while they were under the influence. I believe the alcohol age should not change because of it reducing crashes, the fact that your brain is more developed and you understand your limits, and a change in New Zealand’s drinking to age 18 has spiked the percentage of alcohol related crashes.…
I feel that the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen years of age. You are legal to buy tobacco and cigarettes the age eighteen. You can vote at eighteen and you can serve our country as well. I feel like if you are going to be treated as adult then you should get the privileges as well. That is why I think the drinking age should be lowered.…
There is a giant debate on what the legal minimum drinking age should be in the United States. Many people think that it should remain at 21 years old and others believe that it should be lowered to 18. While both have their own various reasons, this has been an important topic in our country for a long time. President Ronald Reagan signed and passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Law in 1984 which obligated states to raise their legal drinking age to 21 or suffer reductions in Federal highway funds. The highway funds and drinking age was linked together by the young lives lost on our highways. Even though this was a satisfactory reason to raise the drinking age there are still more reasons to why it should be 18. Despite what most people…
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.…
One of the reasons why the legal drinking age should be lowered is because it would diminish the thrill of breaking the law to get a drink. According to Ruth C. Engs, Pofessor, Applied Health Sciences, “Although the legal purchase age is 21 years of age, a majority of college students under this age consume alcohol but in an irresponsible manner. This is because drinking by these youth is seen as an enticing "forbidden fruit," a "badge of rebellion against authority" and a symbol of adulthood." This implies, students and people under the age of 21 will drink in an irresponsible manner because of peer pressure or just wanting to show adults that they don’t have to listen to them anymore. This also shows, if legal drinking age was lowered then most students and people under the age of 21 would learn that they don’t need to rebel to get a drink or break laws and since 18 year olds get a lot of responsibility like voting, this would add to it and show that they can be trusted with not over drinking.…
According to the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, in 2010 underage drinkers from ages 15-20 were responsible for 48.8% of alcohol purchases. The minimum legal drinking age(MLDA) in the United States was 18 years old until 1984, when all fifty states raised their legal drinking age to 21 or older. The drinking age should be lowered from 21 years old to 18 years old because at that age one legally becomes an adult, it would reduce the amount of unsafe drinking activity, and there are fewer drunk driving car accidents in many other countries with a drinking age of 18.…