Argumentative Essay - Grade: A- PDF

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Why the minimum drinking age should be lowered to 18...

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Let's make 18 the New 21

When the 21st Amendment was passed to repeal the alcohol prohibition, it was up to each state to set its own alcohol consumption laws. At the time, most states established 21 as the minimum legal drinking age. 21 stayed the minimum legal drinking age until the passage of the 26th Amendment, in 1971, which lowered the legal voting age to 18 from 21. With the lowering of the legal voting age, states also started lowering the minimum legal drinking age and by 1982, 36 states had a minimum legal drinking age under 21. However, Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Act of 1984 which forced states to raise their minimum legal drinking age to 21 or lose government funding for highways. By 1988, all states had a unified minimum legal drinking age of 21. Since then the minimum legal drinking age has stayed the same. I propose that the time has come to lower the minimum legal drinking age back to the age of 18. When states originally lowered the minimum legal drinking age from 21, it was due to the lowering of the legal voting age from 21 to 18. The legal voting age is still 18 so why should the minimum legal drinking age be any different. When someone turns 18, they are considered an adult and receive additional rights and responsibilities such as the ability to vote, buy cigarettes, get married, sign contracts, serve on juries and join the military. If at 18, one is allowed to make their own decisions about major life events, they should certainly be allowed to decide if they want to consume alcohol.

One of the reasons for the passing of the National Minimum Legal Drinking Act were based on studies showing how a decrease in minimum legal drinking age was attributed to an increase in motor vehicle fatalities. However, in the two years prior to the passing of the National Minimum Legal Drinking Act, there was a decrease in fatalities caused by drunk driving. So having a minimum legal drinking age of 18 instead of 21 will have no effect on drunk driving fatalities. Additionally, many countries with a minimum legal drinking age of 18 have fewer drunk driving fatalities. In the U.S., 3 1% of motor vehicle deaths involve alcohol which is higher than counties with a lower drinking age such as France (29%), Great Britain (16%), Germany (9%), China (4%), and Israel (3%). While the minimum legal drinking age was originally raised to 21 due to the concern of drunk driving fatalities, there was no correlation and therefore if it was enacted for a purpose that doesn't exist, the enactment should revert back to its original form. Another reason why lowering the m  inimum legal drinking age to 18 would be beneficial is because it would remove the thrill of breaking the law involved in underage drinking. Young adults often find thrill in doing something illegal and one proof for this is the rates of insurance for teenage drivers. Insurance rates are very high, especially for teenage boys as they are prone to speeding due to the thrill of being above the law. By lowering the legal drinking age, the thrill of underage drinking is gone. Additionally, the minimum legal drinking age is largely ineffective as teenagers consume alcohol regardless of the current law. A  ccording to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, underage drinking accounts for 1 7.5% ($22.5 billion) of consumer spending for alcohol in the United States with 60.3% of 18 to 20 year olds drinking alcohol. W  ith the thrill removed, unsafe drinking done by 18-20 year olds will decrease as the

drinking will be done in more supervised settings. Currently, 18-20 year olds seek the thrills of drinking in highly unsupervised places such as frat houses or house parties where attendees are prone to binge drink and exposed to other unsafe behaviors such as drugs. Additionally, for many teenagers, it is at these parties where they first encounter alcohol. They see their peers drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and do the same without understanding the risks. What unfortunately occurs is an overconsumption of alcohol which can lead to drinkers passing out, getting alcohol poisoning, having to go to the hospital to get their stomachs pumped or even dying. By reducing the minimum legal drinking age from 21 to 18 it will remove the thrill of engaging in illegal activities. Additionally, by reducing the minimum age to 18 places these individuals as seniors in high school. This lends itself to an unbelievable educational opportunity. The reduction of the minimum legal drinking age to 18 would be linked to mandatory alcohol consumption safety classes offered by every high school in America. Odds are that a high school student wouldnt understand why vodka should be consumed in a shot glass versus a wine glass. An individual who weighs 150 pounds cannot consume the same amount of alcohol as their friend who weighs 200 pounds. Knowledge is power and the difference between ending up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning and having a safe time with friends. While critics may say that the legal minimum drinking age should stay at 21 and just have lectures and presentations about safe alcohol consumption it will be ineffective. First of all there are many Americans who do not go to college and odds are the ones who attend college will not avail themselves to these presentations as they cannot be made mandatory. In

highschools, where a presentation can be made mandatory and have attendance taken to make sure all students attend, it will have little effect. Students will be told something that won't apply to them for 3 years, rendering the information irrelevant at the time. Therefore, the only way to effectively educate the next generation of alcohol consumers is with a legal minimum drinking age of 18 combined with mandatory presentations in high school. When combined this can lead to a safer drinking environment which is the ultimate goal. Right now people around the world are experiencing life in a time of extreme unknown due to the Coronavirus. In America, most states have closed all non-essential businesses in addition to issuing stay at home orders to stop the spread of the virus. However, this decision of what should be closed and what should open and how to go about dealing with Coronavirus is upto the individual states and more specifically their governors. State governors currently yield a tremendous amount of power. They are making all of the decisions in their state regardless of what the federal government thinks. This increase of power to the states presents a perfect opportunity for states to lower their minimum legal drinking age. The states were the one who origonally raised it and now with their increased power they can lower it again. It was up to the state governors to decide which businesses are deemed essential and all of them agreed that liquor stores were essential. American society revolves around alcohol and now is the perfect time to include those who are 18 - 20. If we are trusting 18 year olds to defend our country with guns and weapons, vote for the leaders of our country, and help decide justice for litigants, they should certainly be allowed to consume alcohol. Let's not kid ourselves, the current minimum legal drinking age of 21 does

little to prevent underage drinking. By coupling the lowering of the minimum legal drinking age to 18 and educating these same individuals, the incidents of alcohol related deaths should be greatly reduced. By replacing the thrill of illegal activities with practical education, we are doing more to promote responsible drinking than an arbitrary age limit. (Additionally, by lowering the minimum legal drinking age to 18, underaged drinking will be reduced.)

Works Cited

● “Global Status Report On Road Safety” 2015 Pages 280 - 287

● “Statistical Analysis of Alcohol-Related Driving Trends, 1982-2005” 2008 Page 2 https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/810942

● https://www.centeronaddiction.org/addiction-research/reports/economic-value-underagedrinking-and-adult-excessive-drinking-alcohol page 6

● Table 2.8B Tobacco Product and Alcohol Use in Lifetime, Past Year, and Past Month among Persons Aged 18 to 20: Percentages, 2015 and 2016 https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-DetTabs-2016/NSDUH-DetTabs-2016. pdf

Main, Carla T. “Underage Drinking and the Drinking Age.” Policy Review , no. 155, Jan. 2009. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ871038&site=eds-live&scope=si te....