Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered?

Should the drinking age be lowered?

Lowering the drinking age? A very hot topic in America right not now causeing a series of debates and arguments. In this paper you will read two different view points. One for why the age should be lowered and another on why it should be kept the same at age 21.

Pro

While we are free to choose our actions we are not free to choose the consequences of our action-Stephen R. covey. Lowering the drinking age is a hot topic right now because when your old enough to go to war and take someones life. Old enough to operate a car. Old enough to have sex. You should be able to drink. Though it may cause a series of problems and debates there is still some problems to work out.

Turning 18 you are legally an adult but yet still a minor. When you turn 18 you have the right to vote, you can get married, you can be on juries and sign contracts. Also when you turn 18 you are able to join the military where you have to kill people with a gun at any giving time. At 18 you can buy cigarettes, adult entertainment, tobacco, and go to clubs. But at that age you are not able to drink. The drinking age is 21. When your legally an adult you can do a variety of things but you cant have a drink.

Why should the government stop the unpreventable? More than 10 million kids from 12-20 have said that they have had a drink in the last 30 days 2.4% of 12 years old. 22.4% at 16 and 56.7% at 20. 41% of high school seniors in 2010 in 29% of sophomore. Lowering the drinking age to 18 will take the thrill away of breaking the law and make alcohol consumption a more normalized activity. Keeping the drinking age at 21 sends the wrong message that alcohol consumption is a sign of maturity s teens want to drink to appear mature. National alcohol prohibition from 1920 to 1933 failed which led to an increase in illegal and underground activities. Setting the drinking age to 21 is unconstitutional because it is discrimination against 18-20 year old. Drinking in moderation is good for ones health for 18-20 year old. Enforcing the law is expensive and inefficient its still a major problem among teens be better spending money on educating youth about alcohol. Not allowing 18-20 year old in bars or public locations to drink has effect to force them to drink in unsupervised places. Teen drinking is not going away its too hard to enforce.

con

You should no be able to lower the drinking age. States that lowered the drinking age to 18 had increased alcohol related crashes among 16-20 year old. Between 1970 to 1975 29 states lowered their minimum legal drinking age. Raising the drinking age back to 21 decreased the percentage of fatal traffic accidents to 18-10 year old by 13%. Saved approximately 21,887 lives from 1975-2002. Because teens are simultaneously undergoing