Persuasive Essay Example: Lowering the Drinking Age

The Old Spaghetti Factory caters to a wide demographic of people. With a family-friendly atmosphere, and reasonably priced menu, this venue attracts all types of people. There are families celebrating birthdays, couples on dates, and many high school seniors who simply want to share a delicious meal and a few drinks with their friends. Each year, 17 year-olds look forward to their upcoming birthdays as they will finally reach adulthood, for now they will be able to legally vote, marry, serve in the military, and drink… at least if they are living in Winnipeg, Manitoba—a province in Canada. In the United States however, the age at which one is legally allowed to consume alcohol (21), and the age of adulthood (18) are completely at odds. Once an “adult,” one can get married, vote for our leaders, and serve our country. However one is not adult enough to go for drinks with friends. It is high time, that all adult freedoms are granted at the age of adulthood, age 18. The change of the drinking age, being as controversial an issue as it is, would face many critics if lowered. However, if done the right way it would bring the laws of adulthood into alignment. The first issue needing to be dealt with is why the drinking age is set at 21. The American Medical Association (AMA) published the article “Facts About Youth and Alcohol,” which gives a brief history of the drinking age in the United States. The article states that after prohibition, the drinking age was set to 21 in most states. However between 1970 and 1975, as the minimum age for freedoms, such as voting, were lowered, 29 states lowered the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) as well (1). Because not all states had a drinking age of 18, many young adults would cross state lines in order to be of legal drinking age, therefore causing a spike in alcohol related accidents among young adults. Because of the accidents advocacy groups, such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.), began pressuring states to