Changing the Minimun Legal Drinking Age in the United States Essay Example for Free

Changing the Minimun Legal boozing Age in the United States EssayOver the past twenty grades the minimum healthy inebriety while has been twenty-one in all US states, precisely that has non stopped citizens of the United Sates from attempting to lower the come on. pursuit the end of prohibition in the United Sates during the Great Depression, all states agreed on a set of twenty-one to be the sanctioned drunkennessing age. For some forty forms thither was no change in the drinking age until a decrease in the age for voting occurred. This led to the gradatory decrease of the minimum effectual drinking age to somewhere between the ages of eighteen and twenty among twenty-one states. Recent data collected by heat content Wechsler and Toben F. Nelson, both of which obtain either a PhD/ScD, head that over many efforts from legislation book been presented with bills that argue to lower the minimum age, but none have been passed (986). This subject has and always wil l be a well discussed issue among Americans, y come inh, and adults until they are satisfied with the outcome. Legislation should lower the minimum legal drinking age to eighteen in the United States due to the fact that it should be consistent with all new(prenominal) legal rights that one acquires at age eighteen.As supporters of overweight the minimum legal drinking age argue that the age of drinking should be persistent with other legal rights such as voting, buying baccy products, and serving their country. Statistics say the youth of today have had their first taste of alcoholic drink by the time they are twenty-one, so that can exclusively think of that they have participated in underage drinking (Barnett 8). This is considered breaking the law and one would go to jail if reported or if discovered by authorities unless there was an exception. That brings me to the amount of exceptions to the minimum legal drinking age in the United States. Over eight different exception s are active in the States this year that apologise the act of underage drinking such as religious purposes, medical purposes, educational purposes, and with parental consent (40 States 468).These exceptions let anyone under parental consent or on private property legally drink without questioning them. Other people may see these exceptions as a sufficient way to only let minors drink under the careful eye of adults, but these adults that are supposed to be carefully watching these minors could easily rotate up. I recollect that the exceptions of minors drinking on private property with or without parental consent should not be excused. Does drinking at bag mean you are not able to climb into a car and drive under the influence? These exceptions also organize to the thought of the Zero allowance account Law not being enforced vigorously which leads to teenagers taking the Law as a joke.Many people that oppose the lowering of the minimum legal drinking age do not realize the ef fectiveness of the age being lowered to eighteen. These viewers see the youth as forever feckless and should not be trusted with anything. If the youth was taught to drink in moderation and not binge drink, changing the minimum legal drinking age would not be so risky. Barnett, a professor at Brown University Center for alcoholic drink and Addiction Studies, suggests that if the youth is aware of the risks of alcohol they may drink with to a greater extent caution (8). Prohibiting teens from drinking in public location such as bars, restaurants, and clubs has forced them to drink in unsupervised places. Fraternity/sorority houses, friends houses, and other secret locations are places that teens turn to to be able to drink without line upting in trouble. If the drinking age was lowered then teens would be allowed to drink in healthy and supervised environments that in turn teach them to be cautious of the amount of alcohol obtained.When the age eighteen comes along it is assumed t o be the year of adulthood which means taking on many responsibilities such as the right to vote, getting married, and joining the military. Joining the military includes taking the risk of losing your life. I believe making the conclusiveness to fight for your country entitles you to the right of being able to make any life decision on your own, even the decision about alcohol role. If one is charged with a crime then the eighteen year sr. is no longer tried in youthful court he is tried as an adult. In reality, an eighteen, nineteen, and twenty year old can do just about everything that a twenty-one year old can do, except legally consume alcohol.Who is to say that en eighteen, nineteen, or twenty-year old is not mature enough to properly consume alcohol? Previous research suggests that when there is a more strenuous alcohol policy there will be lower alcohol abuse and consumption among teens (Grube, Kypri, and Paschall 1850). This actually causes teens to feel the need to reb el instead of the thought of teens abusing the privilege. This is a rather immature personality trait to have as a teenager, but there might actually be a reduction in drinking because teens are no longer being rebellious and breaking the law. The safe and sound point of becoming an adult is to give them the ability to take responsibility for their own actions, so why should we not let them?In the United Sates, statistics show that the consumption of alcohol by minors has decreased in the last twenty years, but the consumption of alcohol by adults ages twenty-one through two dozen have increased (Wechsler and Nelson 987). Waiting until you are twenty-one to legally drink is causing adults to binge drink without thinking of the consequences. With decreasing the minimum legal drinking age in the United States, adults (age eighteen) will be able to pace themselves and learn at a younger age the risks of drinking uncontrollably. By the time that age twenty-one rolls around for an adul t, the dangers of binge drinking may have already harmed them. It is all about learning early and discovering the consequences, dangers, and limits to drinking so that foul habits will not be formed during later adulthood years.Henry Wechsler and Toben F. Nelson state that seventy-nine studies were conducted to relate the drinking age and traffic fatalities (988). Although, none of the studies conducted related fewer crashes with a lower minimum drinking age, but related a higher drinking age with fewer traffic fatalities, the minimum legal drinking age does not save lives (Wechsler and Toben 988). The choice to save lives relies on the person being held accountable. Underage drinking going on at a house party has more guests committing the crime of drunk driving rather than going out to the bar to have a drink.These eighteen year old adults have to turn to secretly drinking and risking getting arrested because they have not reached the age of twenty-one yet. If an eighteen year ol d was able to go out with his family to a restaurant and consume alcohol, then he would not be committing two crimes-underage drinking and drinking while driving. I do not believe that being able to legally drink and traffic fatalities correspond any more than illegal drinking and traffic fatalities because anyone, no matter the age, can get into a car under the influence without thinking twice. The minimum legal drinking age is just another cause for breaking the law and by chance putting someones life in danger besides your own.Being at the age of eighteen one is not permitted to legally barter for alcohol and according to Wechsler and Nelsons article in American Journal, evidence supports that by lowering the minimum legal drinking age there will be an increase in the consumption of alcohol (990). Few would say that giving eighteen year olds the ability to obtain alcohol will lead to the increase in drinking which in turn would cause danger and harm to others. If that was to b e true, then would there not be an increase in consumption at age twenty-one now? Should that cause for a raise in the legal drinking age? If one is able to purchase and consume alcohol that is their right. No one should be in control of someone elses life or their life choices. Whatever the minimum legal drinking age may be, there will always be an increase in the purchase of alcohol because before that time they are ineffective to buy it. Just because there is an increase does not mean that there will be an increase in harm or negative consequences.In conclusion, many points of the support to keep the minimum legal drinking age of twenty-one are understandable, but I cannot agree with the overall argument. Adults, teens, youth, and seniors will drink at whatever age they may exigency to whether it is illegal or not. The minimum legal drinking age is one of the only things that adults at the age of eighteen are unable to do simply because they are seen as not mature enough to han dle the responsibility. If one is capable of deciding who they want to lead our country, serve for our country, and get married and begin a life with another person, then I believe there should be no movement that they are not able to make responsible decisions about the consumption of alcohol. America can only protect the youth so much until they rifle to rebel and take things into their control.Work CitedBarnett, Nancy P. The Minimum Drinking Age Debate. Date The Brown University Digest of Addiction Theory Application 27.11 (2008) 8. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. Print. Paschall, Mallie J., Joel W. Grude, and Kypros Kypri. Alcohol Control Policies AndAlcohol Consumption By Youth A Multi-National Study. Addiction 104.11 (2009) 1844-1855. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. Print. ProCon.org. 40 States That Allow Underage (under 21) Alcohol Consumption. DrinkingAge.ProCon.org. ProCon.org, 3 Aug. 2012. Web. 7 Dec. 2012. Saylor, Drew K. Heavy Drinking On Col lege Campuses No Reason To Change Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21. Journal of American College Health 59.4 (2011) 330-333. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Nov 2012. Print. Wechsler, Henry, and Toben F. Nelson. Will Increasing Alcohol Availablity By Lowering The Minimum Legal Drinking Age Decrease Drinking And Related Consequences Among Youths? American Journal of Public Health 100.6 (2010) 986-992. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Nov 2012. Print.