Thi Trinh

Ms. Moore
Period 0
November 6, 2014
Minimum Legal Drinking Age
For many years, ongoing debates have been ranting back and forth about whether or not
the legal drinking age in the United States should be lowered. Compared to those who are against
lowering the drinking age, the proponent side on this argument how keeping the legal age for
drinking at 21 has not done any better for the U.S. On the other hand, the opponent side claimed
and are continuing to state the opposite. Among those who a part of this debate, there has been
more on the agreeing side that believes the legal minimum drinking age should be lowered. This
side has been believed to become more of an agreement today, because based on recent statistics,
back in the past when the U.S. drinking age was raised to 21, many teens started to crave the
thrill of breaking laws after being limited from being able to drink; not only that but eventually
the rate of alcohol- related injuries/accidents began to increase dramatically. So for the sake of
saving millions rather than losing millions of highway funds, including the end of teen rebellion,
the minimum drinking age should be lowered to 18 for the goods of our future economy.
Recent statistics have shown that between the years 1970 and 1976, many states in the
U.S. began to lower their minimum legal drinking age from 21 to 18- 20. Based on CBSNews,
In the fall of 2013, many Dartmouth, Virginia Tech and Duke college presidents gathered
together to sign a declaration stating that the 21- year- old drinking age is not working, and
fireworks went off. Even a research professor, Dwight B. Heath, favors the idea of the drinking
age being lower than 21. According to CNN.com,

...the Brown University anthropology professor is not advocating kids getting drunk.
Instead, he favors a cultural model, common in foreign countries like france or Italy,
where parents serve small amounts of wine to their children at family meals. By doing
this, he says, parents can educate their kids on alcohol and rob drinking off its taboo
allure
In general, Heaths theory is that the younger people start to drink, the safer they are
(Cnn.com); in other words, if minors were to be granted the rights to start drinking at an early
age, theyd be able to manage alcohol more maturely. Based on thorough research, studies has
shown that those in favor of lowering the drinking age have gained momentum. For the sake of
saving lives and terminating teen rebellion, the drinking age in the United States should be
lowered from 21 to 18.
At the age of 18, citizens can vote in an election, defend and possibly die for their
country and make all decisions regarding their body. If this is the case, then why is it that teens
under 21 are not allowed to drink legally until 21? Many people, not just those who are under the
legal drinking age but of all ages, all oppose to this type of dilemma. As stated by sophomore
journalist, Alexis Aguirre, There is no reason 18-years- old adults should be denied the right to
partake in alcohol. At age 18, ...young adults are believed to be able to make their own
decisions regarding alcohol (Aguirre 2013), . By the age of 18, teens are considered an adult in
the United states, and adults should have the right to make their own decisions about alcohol
consumption. In fact, a majority of teens already consume alcohol; according to the National
Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, underage drinking accounts for 17.5% ($22.5billion)
of consumer spending for alcohol in the United States. In 2006, 72.2% of twelfth graders
reported drinking alcohol at some point in their lives. (Minimum legal drinking age).

During the mid- 1980s, the age for drinking was raised to 21 for the goal of reducing
highway fatalities (Cbsnews). In the United States., fifty states in total have set their minimum
drinking age to 21, while across the world, many cultures of different ethnicities allow minors to
start drinking at an early age. With the age set that the United States have, Professor DBH stated,
"When introduced early, he said, "Alcohol has no mystique. It's no big deal. By contrast, where
it's banned until age 21, there's something of the 'forbidden fruit' syndrome.

Citation
Aguirre, Alexis. "National Drinking Age Should Be Lowered to 18." The University Star. The
University Star, 2014. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <https://star.txstate.edu/node/1704>.
CBSN, "The Debate On Lowering The Drinking Age." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 19 Feb.
2009. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-debate-on-lowering-thedrinking-age/>.
Griggs, Brandon. "Should the U.S. Lower Its Drinking Age?" CNN. Cable News Network, 01
Jan. 1970. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/16/us/legal-drinking-age/>.
Hanson, David J. "The Drinking Age Should Be Lowered." The Drinking Age Should Be
Lowered. 2PotsDam, 2014. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
<http://www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol/YouthIssues/1053520190.html#.VG9V9jCJOuY>.
Markoff, Steven C. "Drinking Age ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. ProCon.org, 18 Sept.
2014. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://drinkingage.procon.org/>.