Kent Schaefer English 191 December 3, 2009 Research Paper Lower the Legal Drinking Age O.

K, 18 year olds, a legal adult in the United States! 18 year olds can buy tobacco, get married, and have kids, enter war and even serve as a juror in court, but STOP! Dont even think about taking a sip of that beer in your hand. All of these responsibilities come along with being an adult but for some reason 18 year olds still arent old enough to consume an alcoholic beverage. If the legal drinking age was lowered to the age of 18 there would be a less alcohol related injuries/deaths and young drinkers would be more responsible. Prior to the National Drinking Act of 1984, 18 year olds could purchase and consume alcohol legally. The federal government ratified this act too put a stop too people under the age of 21 from consuming alcohol. They could not force every single state to pass the proposal; most of the 50 states passed the act but a few refused to pass it. Wisconsin being one of the last states to pass this law rejected the proposal. The Federal government then seized Wisconsins Highway funds and would not give them any more money until they signed the petition. Wisconsin signed shortly after these happened; but Wisconsin residents under the age of 21 are still permitted to drink alcohol with a parent or guardians present (Keller). No one got a clear

answer why the federal government proposed the National Drinking Act of 1984 but it is believed that they believed there were problems with 18 year olds drinking. They hoped to see a large decrease in alcohol related deaths and accidents hopping 21 year olds would be more mature and responsible; it makes sense too, with age comes responsibility. They did not get the facts that they were hopping to get. The number of alcohol related deaths did not increase or decrease, but instead just transferred age groups. Instead of 18-21 year olds getting hurt or killed, 21-24 year olds were getting hurt or killed. The only change the U.S government made with passing the National Drinking Act of 1984 was that older drinkers we getting hurt instead of 18 year old (Colleges, Alcohol Abuse and the Legal Drinking Age) When someone turns 18 years old they are expected to act like a mature adult. At the age of 21 there are no other significant responsibilities that come along with that age other than the responsibility of consuming alcohol. The reason they set the drinking age at 21 was because thats when they believe the human body is at a developed enough stage. The government got this average age from research done by scientists. This is not very accurate because all humans develop differently. The majority of the people in the U.S have been driving for over two years at the age of 18 years old. Kids that are 11 or 12 years old can even begin to fly and operate a passenger

airplane (Shackner). There are many other responsibilities and privileges that come with your 18th birthday. At 18, you are forced to register for the United States Army draft. At 18 you can put your life on the line for your country and operate a 30-ton tank and all of the firepower that comes along with it. When someone turns 18 they are allowed to vote for the next president to run the country we all live in. If an 18 year old has a job they are forced to pay taxes just like all of the other adults. 18 year olds can even work in a brewing company and they can distill alcohol. You may own a bar and even employee adults older than you when you are 18 years old. At the age of 18 you can sue, you can be sued or you may even be asked to serve as a juror in a case proving a terrorist guilty/innocent against mass murder. Hey, if you even wanted to you could purchase dynamite in some states! At 18, go get married and have kids, 18 year olds can even give abortions if they do not want any children. If you dont think an 18 year old is responsible enough to drink alcohol just have them run for political office in any state in the U.S where you only have to be 18 years old. Many of these facts refer to all 50 states although some refer to only a few states. So if an 18 year old is left with all of these responsibilities and duties they ought to be able to drink a beer. College, the time when most 18 year olds leave the nest, you are on your own, mature and responsible enough to make intelligent decisions without your parents holding your hand. Well if youre 18 and

old enough to live on your own without your parents, why cant a young adult have a beer? Many people believe that first or second year college students do not Practice safe drinking habits. Well this is exactly true, and thats because the legal drinking age is 21. If you were allowed to drink alcohol at a young age it would help you learn responsible drinking habits. Parents usually dont teach their kids to be nice or mature when as a teenager. It is a long working progress, so when the time comes to be nice or mature they are ready. Underage students who consume alcohol are doing it in an unsafe manner. They are drinking in the dorms or in the basement of a house and they stay away from adults and police officers. They stay away from these figures because if they dont, they will get an underage ticket and get in trouble. Well, Adults and police officers are a great form of help. If the drinking age were lowered to 18 they would be able to drink in bars/taverns where there is accessible help. There have been numerous deaths on college campuses from students who have drank too much and they are now in serious trouble ("Cut drinking age to 18, college presidents urge.") The friends dont want to call for help because if they do they will get in trouble and an underage ticket. If they were allowed to drink at the age of 18 they could have called for help and chances are a life would have been saved. People say drinking is unhealthy for the human body and should stay away from alcohol whenever possible. Research shows that

people who drink moderate proportions actually have less hospital visits that people who dont drink at all. If you have 1-4 drinks spread throughout the day it has been proven to reduce stress and increase happiness and a carefree feeling. Having alcohol once and a while has shown to lowers cholesterol levels of people who have had a large problem with their cholesterol. Alcohol is good to drink when you have a cold because it contains many essential vitamins the body needs to fight off the common cold. The common Beer Gut that every believed to be caused by drinking t0o much beer is actually caused by the hunger cravings that come along with drinking. (Bryson) The U.S is 1 of the 4 countries that have the legal drinking age set at 21 years of age. This is the highest drinking age of any country in the world (Andrew, Mark, and Lisa). There are currently 17 countries that do not have a set legal drinking age. 12 countries have a set age of 16 years old to buy and purchase alcohol. 6 countries have a drinking age of 17, 19 or 20. The rest of the countries, which consists of almost 75 countries, have a set legal drinking age of 18 years old ("Drinking Age FAQ."). On the United States north border is Canada, legal drinking age set at 18. At the south border of the U.S is Mexico; they also have a set legal drinking age of 18 years old. The U.S is one of the only countries in North America with a drinking age of 21. Countries such as China and Italy that have a legal drinking age at 18 or no drinking age at all have fewer alcohol related accidents that the

U.S (Keller, Adrienne). There are not as many drinking and driving related deaths and very little alcohol abuse going on with young adults. In these countries kids grow up with alcohol, there parents allow them to drink at a young age both adults and children almost always have a glass of red wine with supper. They dont look at alcohol as the forbidden fruit like everyone in the U.S does (Tamura, Eileen H). They learn to understand and respect alcohol at a young age and learn not to abuse it. Young adults in the U.S learn how to drink on their own without the responsibility and maturity of there parents to teach them good drinking habits at a young age (Keller, Adrienne). If the U.S would follow these countries that have been around ten times longer than them by changing the legal drinking age to 18, there would be a reduced amount of alcohol related deaths. "Insanity is defined as repeating the same behavior and expecting a different result"(Brown). This is exactly what is going on as of right now with the United States current prohibition law. Police officers even agree that the legal drinking age does not stop everyone when it comes to underage drinking (Keen, Judy). They also state that a fine of up to $300 does not stop them. Everyday 5,000 teens are fined for underage consumption (CBS News) That is over 1,825,000 underage tickets handed out per year in the United States. As you can see theses numbers are extremely high and something needs to be done to lower this number to a reasonable amount. (Franks, M. R.)

When a United States citizen turns 18 years old many responsibilities and maturity is expected from them. Adults trust 18 year olds enough with our Vote for our president and protecting our country from terrorism. Somehow they still dont trust us when it comes to drinking a beer. The prohibition laws try and restrict college students and anyone else under the age of 21 from consuming alcohol; but research shows and everyone knows that this law just isnt working. Lowering the legal Drinking age to 18 years old will allow parents to teach there children how to drink alcohol responsibly and treat it with respect. The law needs to be changed so potential alcohol related deaths could be prevented.

Works Cited Andrew, Mark, and Lisa. "Lower the U.S. Legal Drinking Age to 18 Petition." PetitionOnline.com - Free Online Petition Hosting. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://www.petitiononline.com/AD793/petition.html>. "ARE YOU ADULT ENOUGH TO DEBATE THE DRINKING AGE?" Lew Bryson's Site of Malt Beverage Delight. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. <http://www.lewbryson.com/legalat18.htm>. Brown, Rita M. "Sandra Ford Walston - Chapter Ten." Sandra Ford Walston, promoting courage-based women leadership in business. Web. 02 Dec. 2009. <http://www.walstoncourage.com/pages/books/chapterten.shtml>. "Colleges, Alcohol Abuse and the Legal Drinking Age." New York Times 24 Sept. 2008: 1. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Dec. 2009. "Cut drinking age to 18, college presidents urge." Arizona Local News Phoenix Arizona News - Breaking News - azcentral.com. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. <http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/19/20080819drinkin g-age0819.html>. "The Debate On Lowering The Drinking Age - 60 Minutes - CBS News." Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News CBS News. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. <http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/19/60minutes/main481357 1.shtml>. "Drinking Age FAQ." National Youth Rights Association. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. <http://www.youthrights.org/dafaq.php>. Franks, M. R. "Our Drinking Laws on Minors Must Change." Drawbridge and Portcullis. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. <http://www.franks.org/fr01100.htm>.

Hanson, David J. "Facts And Fiction." WWW2 Webserver. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/AlcoholFactsAndFiction.html>. Hanson, David J. "Most College Students Drink in Moderation and Many Abstain from Alcoholic Beverages." WWW2 Webserver. Web. 22 Nov. 2009. <http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/YouthIssues/20090828134831.ht ml>. Keller, Adrienne, et al. "Legal Ages for Purchase and Consumption of Alcohol and Heavy Drinking Among College Students in Canada, Europe, and the United States." Substance Abuse 30.3 (2009): 248252. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Dec. 2009. Keen, Judy. "States weigh lowering drinking age - USATODAY.com." News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-03-20drinkingage_N.htm>. Liebschutz, Sarah F. "The National Minimum Drinking-Age Laws." ITHIKA. JSTOR, 1985. Web. 2 Dec. 2009. Shackner, Bill. "Pros and cons of reducing the drinking age | ScrippsNews." ScrippsNews | current events, culture, commentary, community. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/25194>. Tamura, Eileen H. "Should the minimum drinking age be changed?." Social Studies 83.5 (1992): 201. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Dec. 2009.