What if we lowered the drinking age to eighteen in the United States, instead of twenty-one? Have you ever thought about what it would be like if we put this law into play? There are so many other countries that allow alcohol consumption at ages that are below twenty-one. It kind of blows my mind that when teenagers turn eighteen, it means we are legal adults. With that being said, why would we not be able to do as many things as someone who turned twenty-one? Despite the fact that many Americans claim that people under 21 do not exactly have the drinking capacity for alcohol; the drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18 due to the fact that at the age of 18 you can make important decisions, and the laws against consumption of alcohol has not been fully successful in the last 30 or so years.
“Of the 190 countries, 61% have a drinking age of 18 or 19 years old. The United States and 11 other countries have an MLDA of 21 years old, the highest MLDA of all the countries where it is legal to drink (although some areas of India have drinking ages as high as 25 and 30 years old). Alcohol is banned in 16 countries, all of them Muslim countries, although some have exceptions for non-Muslims (ProCon.org).” Going off of that statement and data from this liable site; showing that other countries have maintained the drinking ages without an issue, definitely makes me wonder more why we as a whole cannot come to an agreement on lowering the drinking age. If other countries can do it, why can’t we?
In college environments, alcohol is always readily available no matter where you are. Any students that are underage, are at risk to more likely to overdo it when they get their hands on alcohol rather than those of age. Since they can’t legitimately obtain alcoholic beverages themselves. Making these drinks more accessible makes it less of a big deal to teenagers and college students under the age of 21. Any person at any age can end up drinking irresponsibly or making the wrong decisions while partaking in the act. Making this law possible would mean less restriction and less control thus pushing it to be less appealing and less of a thrill. It teaches them to drink responsibly and socially.
Sources
“Drinking Age ProCon.org.” Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered from 21 to a Younger Age?, 1 Sept. 2017, 10:25AM, drinkingage.procon.org/.
ProCon.org. “Minimum Legal Drinking Age in 190 Countries - Minimum Legal Drinking Age - ProCon.org.” Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered from 21 to a Younger Age?, 10 Mar. 2016, 9:03AM, drinkingage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004294.
Tip Your Glass
By: Tiffany Leclair