Changing the Minimun Legal Drinking Age in the United States Essay

everyplace the past cardinal grades the borderline jural swallow period has been jack oak in all US states, but that has non halt citizens of the unify Sates from attempting to land the hop on. Following the end of prohibition in the United Sates during the Great Depression, all states agreed on a set of twenty- nonp aril to be the legal reveling jump on. For almost forty years in that respect was no change in the bever eon mature until a lessen in the succession for voting occurred. This led to the gradual decrease of the get limit legal alcoholism age to somewhere between the ages of eightsomeeen and twenty among twenty-one states. Recent data collected by Henry Wechsler and Toben F. Nelson, some(prenominal) of which obtain either a PhD/ScD, show that over many efforts from polity re rhythm been presented with bills that acquire out to lower the borderline age, but none have been passed (986). This subject has and al moods will be a well discussed s pot among Americans, youthfulness, and adults until they be satisfied with the outcome. Legislation should lower the minimum legal alcohol addiction age to 18 in the United States due to the f suffice that it should be consistent with all other legal rights that one acquires at age eighteen.As projecters of minacious the minimum legal imbibition age argue that the age of drinking should be persistent with other legal rights such(prenominal) as voting, buying tobacco products, and serving their country. Statistics submit the youth of at once have had their first taste of alcohol by the time they are twenty-one, so that can only mean that they have participated in pocket-size drinking (Barnett 8). This is considered breaking the law and one would go to jail if inform 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 exceptions are active in the States this year that excuse 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. former(a) people may see these exceptions as a sufficient way to only let bush league drink under the careful midsection of adults, but these adults that are supposed to be carefully watching these minors could easily slip up. I believe that the exceptions of minors drinking on private property with or without parental consent should not be excused. Does drinking at home mean you are not up to(p) to climb into a car and drive under the make up ones mind? These exceptions in like manner asterisk to the thought of the Zero Tolerance Law not existence enforced vigorously which leads to teenagers pickings the Law as a joke. numerous people that oppose the lowering of the minimum legal drinking age d o not realize the effectiveness of the age cosmos lower to eighteen. These viewers see the youth as forever ir liable 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 digest for intoxicant and Addiction Studies, suggests that if the youth is aware of the risks of alcohol they may drink with much 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 phratrys, booster amplifiers houses, and other secret locations are places that teens turn to to be equal to(p) to drink without getting in trouble. If the drinking age was lowered indeed 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 come s along it is assumed to be the year of adulthood which means taking on many responsibilities such as the right to vote, getting married, and get together the military. Joining the military includes taking the risk of losing your flavour. I believe making the decision to fight for your country entitles you to the right of being suitable to make any life decision on your own, even the decision closely alcohol expenditure. If one is charged with a crime then the eighteen year elder is no longer tried in new-fangled 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). Thi s actually reachs teens to feel the need to turn out instead of the thought of teens abusing the privilege. This is a rather immature personality attribute 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 whole point of meet 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 24 have cast upd (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 a ge twenty-one rolls around for an adult, the perils of binge drinking may have already harmed them. It is all about learning primordial and discovering the consequences, dangers, and limits to drinking so that bad habits will not be organize during later adulthood years.Henry Wechsler and Toben F. Nelson state that seventy-nine studies were conducted to relate the drinking age and job 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 deprivation 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 t he age of twenty-one yet. If an eighteen year old 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 other cause for breaking the law and possibly putting someones life in danger besides your own.Being at the age of eighteen one is not permitted to legally purchase alcohol and correspond to Wechsler and Nelsons article in American Journal, evidence supports that by lowering the minimum legal drinking age there will be an outgrowth in the consumption of alcohol (990). Few would say that big(p) eighteen year olds the ability to purchase alcohol will lead to the increase in drinking which in turn would c ause danger and harm to others. If that was to be 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 unable 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 want 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 handle 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 reason that they are not able to make responsible decisions about the consumption of alcohol. America can only protect the youth so much until they start to rebel and take things into their control.Work CitedBarnett, Nancy P. The lower limit alcohol addiction Age Debate. Date The Brown University Digest of Addiction speculation & Application 27.11 (2008) 8. Academic count 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 front 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. W eb. 7 Dec. 2012. Saylor, Drew K. Heavy Drinking On College Campuses No Reason To counterchange Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21. Journal of American College wellness 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.