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Lowering the Legal Drinking Age in the United States
Matthew Donadio
HUM 200
Instructor Stepp
May 18, 2013

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Lowering the legal drinking age in the United States has been a topic of debate for as long as I can remember. Many people are for it or against it for many different reasons and those reasons is what I will be discussing in this paper. I will discuss six factors that are for lowering the drinking age and the factors that are against it as well. I always thought if you were old enough to get married, go to college, or fight in a war you should be old enough to consume alcohol. That’s always been my opinion, but regardless of where you stand on this topic it will always be a debate, especially if the government changes the legal limit to a lower age. The first thing I would like to go over is the factors that are for lowering the legal drinking age limit. The number one and strongest factor for lowering the drinking age is how people can serve in the military and die for their country, but not allowed to consume an alcohol beverage. In addition you can vote, sign contracts, and get married as well. If they’re ready for those responsibilities then they should be ready to drink as well. The second factor is many countries that lowered the drinking age have fewer problems with alcoholism and alcohol related issues statistically (WiseGeek.com, 2013). The third factor is that people who drink in private are at far more risk for potentially dangerous situations, where as being able to drink legally in public places would be far less dangerous (WiseGeek.com, 2013). The fourth factor is lowering the legal drinking age will make drinking less of thrill for most underage people, they drink because its illegal and they think it makes them look cool if they do it as well. If it was legal for them to drink they would be far less tempted to try alcohol. The fifth factor is more people would legally be able to drink in bars,

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Restaurants, and other licensed establishments. Revenue would increase for private business owners, and greater amounts of tax revenue would be collected by the government (ProCon.org, 2013). The sixth and final factor is since people are considered an adult when they turn eighteen and they’re entitled to certain privileges such as buying cigarettes and possessing a weapon. They can also be sentenced to prison instead of a juvenile detention center. So for those reasons it’s absolutely absurd that they can’t consume alcohol as well (Ails, 2009). With that being said, Cigarettes have far more health affects then alcohol has on the body, so why can an eighteen year old smoke but not drink? Finally, with all the shootings we’ve been having recently; why not change the legal age of when you can purchase a weapon as well. I think I’m speaking for most people when I say our country fears a shooting far more then underage drinking. Now that I discussed the six factors that are for lowering the drinking age, let’s go over the six factors that are against it. The number one and strongest factor in my opinion is that raising the minimum age of drinking has decreased drunk driving, accidents, and alcohol related deaths in people that are younger than twenty one years of age (WiseGeek.com, 2013). The second factor is even though people will continue to drink underage, raising the age limit does decrease the chances that an underage drinker can access alcohol. In other words underage drinking will always occur no matter what. The third factor is many people under twenty one years of age are very immature and cannot handle the effects of alcohol and they’re at far more risk of developing an alcohol addiction. The fourth factor is more people that are under the legal age are at more risk to
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Become a binge Drinker, especially in underage college students. Binge drinking can be a real problem, because it can lead to alcohol poisoning, black outs, and even death in some cases. Raising the drinking age limit can dramatically decrease the chances of underage binge drinking. The fifth factor is drinking too much can cause young adults to make poor decisions. These bad decisions can lead to longer-term consequences, such as a drug addiction or pregnancy (Anonymous, 2008). With that being said, like Marijuana alcohol is a gate way drug and it can lead to doing more hardcore drugs like Cocaine, Heroin, or Crystal Meth just to name a few. The sixth and final factor is drinking alcohol is not a "fundamental" right guaranteed by the Constitution, age is not inherently a "suspect" criteria for discrimination in contrast to race or ethnicity, for example (ProCon.org, 2013). In other words, the Constitution does not care about this issue. The first factor for lowering the drinking age is the strongest in my opinion, because I served in the military. Even though I was twenty four when I enlisted I always felt bad for the soldiers I served with that weren’t of drinking age. I think it’s really unfair that they can kill another person in the name of their country and die for it as well. I always wonder what it would be to be in their shoes, which I’m sure I wouldn’t have liked. I think the law should be changed if not for everyone at least the people who serve in the military. Now I know what some people are thinking, underage people will join the military just to drink. I don’t think too many people will join the military just to drink legally when it’s so easy to access it illegally. The first factor against lowering the drinking age is the strongest to me, because we have lost so many young adults to alcohol related incidents. Whether it’s drunken driving, alcohol
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Poisoning or alcohol related suicides, underage drinking has contributed to all of these. Those things are the biggest reason why many people argue against lowering the age limit and are the biggest reasons why I’m back and forth on this issue as well. Some people are more mature then others and for the ones that aren’t unfortunately ruin it for everyone else. In closing, no matter where you stand on this topic there really is no wrong answer. Both sides have some great arguments and some of them are not so great, but in the end this will always be a topic of debate.

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References
Ails, M, (2009). Collegian Online. Lowering drinking age to 18 would benefit young adults. Retrieved from http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2009/02/02/lowering_drinking_age_to_18_wo.aspx
ProCon.org. (2013, May 9). Drinking Age ProCon.org. Should the drinking age be lowered from 21 to a younger Age? Retrieved from http://drinkingage.procon.org/ WiseGeek.com, (2013). What is the debate over the legal drinking age in the United States? Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-the-debate-over-the-legal-drinking-age-in-the-united-states.htm
Anonymous, (2008). All the pros and cons of reducing the age for Alcohol Consumption should be debated. (2008, Aug, 22). The Dispatch. Retrieved from http://search.proquset.com/docview/435450640?accountid=34899 A

References: Ails, M, (2009). Collegian Online. Lowering drinking age to 18 would benefit young adults. Retrieved from http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2009/02/02/lowering_drinking_age_to_18_wo.aspx ProCon.org. (2013, May 9). Drinking Age ProCon.org. Should the drinking age be lowered from 21 to a younger Age? Retrieved from http://drinkingage.procon.org/ WiseGeek.com, (2013). What is the debate over the legal drinking age in the United States? Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-the-debate-over-the-legal-drinking-age-in-the-united-states.htm Anonymous, (2008). All the pros and cons of reducing the age for Alcohol Consumption should be debated. (2008, Aug, 22). The Dispatch. Retrieved from http://search.proquset.com/docview/435450640?accountid=34899 A