About Lowering the Drinking Age
Every few years, there is a movement to lower the drinking age. Opponents of the current drinking age say it should be lowered because it's not fair that people can sign up for the military at age 18 but they can't legally drink until they are 21.
Proponents of the current law say the legal age should stay at 21 because a person's brain and other functions are not equipped to handle alcohol until that age. The battle continues.
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History
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The history of the minimum legal age to drink alcohol dates all the way back to the end of Prohibition in 1933. At that time, lawmakers chose the age of 21 as the youngest age at which people could consume alcohol. That number, however, has changed as time passed. For instance, 29 states lowered the minimum legal drinking age between 1970 and 1975. The minimum age throughout the country during those years was either 18, 19 or 20, depending on which state you were in at the time. Lawmakers in these states thought it was only fair to lower the drinking age because people could vote and join the military at age 18.
Between 1976 and 1983, many of the states that had lowered the drinking age changed it back to 21 again. This was because many scientific studies during these years showed that traffic accidents and fatalities increased when people drank at the ages of 18 and 19. As a way to help lower the number of traffic fatalities, 16 states reverted back to 21 as the minimum legal drinking age.
But in 1984, the federal government passed the Uniform Drinking Age Act. This act reduced federal funding for highway and transportation improvements to states that did not raise the minimum legal drinking age back up to 21. As a result, the legal drinking age has stood at 21 since that law was enacted.
Misconceptions
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There are several misconceptions surrounding the argument about lowering the drinking age. One of the main arguments that support lowering the drinking age argues that kids are going to drink regardless of its legality. As such, why not lower the drinking age so they can do it legally? But studies do not support that claim. In fact, the evidence supports the fact that minors are less likely to buy alcohol and consume it. Although many of them are still going to drink, keeping the age at 21 causes fewer alcohol-related deaths and injuries.
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Warning
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Scientists that have studied the effects of lowering the drinking age have found that auto accidents and fatalities increase as the minimum age is lowered. In fact, the 21-year-old drinking age saves about 1,000 young lives each year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has compiled and evaluated more than 50 studies that support this claim.
Geography
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In the United States, the minimum legal drinking age is 21 years old. However, Canada has a lower legal drinking age of 19 and Mexico's legal drinking age is even lower at age 18. As a result, many teenagers in states that border these nations often cross the border so they can consume alcohol. They then come back to the United States to their home. Although this is not particularly legal, many minors find ways to hide their insobriety when coming back across the border.
Considerations
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Even though the minimum legal drinking age in the United States is 21, there are still some other rules and regulations to consider. For instance, many states do not allow minors to go into liquor stores or bars. However, there are only a few states that actually prohibit minors from consuming alcohol in private settings, such as a home. Only 14 states prohibit consumption of alcohol by people under the age of 21. Other states also make exceptions for minors who are drinking alcohol with their parents or other adults in a private setting. More than 30 states currently have exceptions for medical, employment, religious and other reasons.
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Comments
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custerboy
Sep 29, 2009
It's really time our legislators look at the drinking age. We raise our children to be smart. We allow them to be adults at 18 to purchase guns, tobbaco, sign up for the military, fight for our country, get married, and start taking care of yourself. But we will not allow them to have a drink until 21. Either you are an adult at 18 or your not. Make it one age for everything. Stop using 21 to make money off college kids. There are plenty of 30, 40, 50 and even 60 yerars that don't handle their drinking correctly. Don't punish our young adults. They are responsible and they can make good choices. Give the the opportunity.
