Drinking Age Reform.21: A Time For Change
In the United States, it is illegal to buy or consume alcoholic beverages until the age of twenty-one. The United States is one of four other countries with a drinking age of twenty-one or higher. The other three are Indonesia, Mongolia and Palau (Gillespie). The government does not trust anybody under the age of twenty-one to consume alcohol but trusts them to die and kill for them. They also grant 18 year olds the right to marry, vote, pay taxes, take out loans, adopt a child and buy tobacco. The minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) should be lowered to eighteen to match the other responsibilities an eighteen year old is granted.
The drinking age has been debated throughout history. Many states set the drinking age to eighteen to match the responsibilities given to them at that age after prohibition was ended. These ages were only raised because of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 put into effect by Ronald Reagan. If the states did not agree to this, they were cut back ten percent in their federal highway funds (Devon). The federal government states they give the right to control the drinking age to the state government. This does not make sense since they would cut back ten percent of their highway fund for just thinking about lowering the drinking age, which no state could survive without (Jolley).
The supporters of the twenty- one drinking age believe that it has saved many lives. This is true to some degree. The deaths from drunk- driving accidents did go down, but some argue it wasn't just the higher drinking age. Cars are being built much safer and much better than they were. Awareness on drunk driving and underage drinking has also been dramatically increased, and an increase in seat- belt use (Balko). Deaths from off the road, however are increasing. Since the consumption of alcohol is illegal under...
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