Should Drinking Age Be Lowered To 18?

For many years, there has been the question should the drinking age be lowered to 18? In today's society, most young adults drink behind their guardians back, but do not realize the consequences that come with their choices. With much speculation, this topic has became a very intriguing argument. What does drinking do to the growth of the brain? Can alcohol do just as much harm to someone 18 then someone 21? Will they be just as responsible? Can someone that young make the correct decisions?
Underage drinking can cause multiple issues with the body's and brain's development. The brain plays a very important role in everyday life. This causes issues since the brain is not fully developed until a person reaches their early twenties ("Teen Brain."). The brain provides basic functions like picking up a pencil or even telling the body what to do. Alcohol consumption can interfere with development of the young adult brain's frontal lobes, essential for functions such as emotional regulation, planning, and organization ("Drinking Age ProCon.org."). Also, alcohol consumption interferes with this early adult brain development, the potential for chronic problems such as greater
21 is the correct age since it would reduce the number of underage drinkers. The percentage of underage drinkers has decreased since 1984 when most MLDA 21 laws came into effect. Newly-legal drinkers often purchase alcohol for their underage peers, creating a "trickle-down" effect. Young adults 18 and younger are known for being irresponsible, so in result those who are 18 are more likely to buy alcohol for high school students and younger kids in middle school. This would cause an issues since the earlier someone starts drinking, the more addictive it can become. In a 2002 meta-study, 87% of the analyses found higher legal drinking ages associated with lower alcohol consumption("Drinking Age