Daisy Arabella

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Eduardo Delgado

Dr. Sara Dustin

ENC 1102

07 February 2019

Should The U.S. Lower The Drinking Age To 18?

Since 1984, the legal drinking age has been 21 in the United States. It was passed as the

National Drinking Age Act by President Reagan when he signed the act into law and issued a

requirement that all states should raise their drinking age. Any state that would go against the

directive would lose highway funding from the federal government (Should the Drinking Age Be

Lowered From 21 To a Younger Age 1). The law has not discouraged teenagers from drinking. It

has instead promoted underage binge drinking as the teens get drunk in less controlled and

private environments. This has led to health and life-threatening behaviors by young adults.

Should The U.S. Lower The Drinking Age to 18? is a topic that keeps coming into question. The

article in procon.org tries to explain why the United States government should lower the national

minimum drinking age from 21 to 18.

Before the act passed into law, every state had its drinking age limit. Some states had

separate rules for hard liquor and beer. For instance, one would be able to enjoy a cold beer at

age 18 but was not allowed to drink vodka until they reached 21. In the 1970s, teenagers living in

Western PA would drive to Ohio, where the drinking age was 18, and drink their hearts out

without having to worry about breaking the law. It was common for teenagers to cross the border

and drink all night. Some also crossed to the other side, bought alcohol and smuggled it back to

Western PA. The above example indicates that before the law passed, teenagers went through

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great lengths while trying to have a good time. Even though the minimum age for drinking is

currently at 21, most people between ages 18 and 20 still take alcoholic drinks.

Additionally, underage drinking is every day among university and college students. The high

age of drinking leads to more young people consuming alcohol. Something is satisfying about

doing forbidden things. It is has been said that the legal age of 21 does not limit teenagers from

drinking (Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered From 21 To a Younger Age 1). It only makes

the teenagers drink while hiding, which causes extreme drinking and they end up being

irresponsible.

Despite the law indicating that any person below the age of 21 should not be drinking,

17% of the total consumer spending for alcoholic beverages is under the legal age. Also, almost

90% of underage drinking is done through binge drinking. That shows that despite the legal limit

being 21 years, alcohol abuse is still prevalent among the youth in the United States (Should the

Drinking Age Be Lowered From 21 To a Younger Age 2). Such practices may be the reason why

there has been an increase in the number of alcoholics in the past several years.

At 18 a person is considered an adult; if they commit an offense, they are treated as an

adult not a minor or teenager. That shows that the law recognizes any person who is 18 and over

to being an adult responsible for their actions (Wechsler and Nelson 986). Therefore, they should

not be banned from drinking alcohol. If the age limit is lowered, 18-year-olds will be given the

rights and recognition they deserve. That will also end an ineffective law that does not seem to

work since it is repeatedly broken. Critics have even compared the drinking age in the United

States with other countries and confirmed that the law is too harsh.

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Works Cited

"Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered From 21 To a Younger Age." 9 October 2018.

ProCon.org. 4 February 2019 <https://drinkingage.procon.org/>.

Wechsler, Henry and Toben F. Nelson. "Will Increasing Alcohol Availability By Lowering the

Minimum Legal Drinking Age Decrease Drinking and Related Consequences Among

Youths?" American Journal of Public Health (2010): 986-992.