This is one that has been debated upon for many years. At one time in the 1970’s the legal age to purchase alcohol was lowered to 18 in a few states, but was raised back to twenty-one for a rather disturbing reason. The number one reason that states raised the legal drinking age back to twenty one was because in 1984 federal law decrees that if a state picked anything less than twenty-one as its legal drinking age it would lose ten percent of its federal highway funds (Wilkinson, 2008). This is a manipulative way of getting the legal age changed without having to have a heated debate. Of course the states immediately changed the legal age back to twenty-one, had the age not been changed the state would have lost a considerable amount of highway funding.
“Mothers Against Drunk Driving claim the higher drinking age is responsible for a decline in annual alcohol-related deaths, from 26,173 in 1982 to 16,885 in 2005...” (Boston University, 2013). Although this decline is also related to other factors, such as safer vehicles and highway design, it undoubtedly accounts for most of
To examine this issue one should look at the following: Firstly, I would love to see the death rates in Alcohol related deaths go down drastically. The U.S has the highest drinking age in the world and it has been estimated to have saved 17,000 lives. More people would get to live till their oldest. Secondly, the highest deaths among teens are road crashes, and 2 out of the 5 teens had been drinking. Thirdly, how would you feel driving to your child’s funeral knowing it could have been prevented?
Alon Leichman ESL Professor Tharp Argumentative Essay Spring 2012 Lowering the Drinking Age in the U.S. Although the legal purchase age is 21 years of old, many people have strong opinions about the drinking age in the United States. A majority of college students under this age consume alcohol but in an irresponsible manner. I would like to propose an agenda that might bring a change to the legal drinking age in the United States. I think that the drinking age is too high and should be lowered to the age of 18.
Erin Young English 101 Online Hour – October 22, 2010 The Drinking Age Debate Too Young to have fun is an online database article discussing the drinking age. In 1984 the Reagan administration ordered all the states to rise their drinking age to 21 or loose 10% of their federal highway funds. In some states, that would mean losing up to $50 million dollars. They purposed this change thinking that it would somehow curve underage drinking but it only made it worse causing criminal records to rise, even though the fatalities among underage drunk drivers declined by 13%. I believe this article supported my decision about lowering the drinking age because the article insinuated that by raising the drinking age, more deaths occurred as well
An average of 17,000 individuals die each year in drink driving related deaths. The numbers have come down slightly , for example, in 2010 10,228 individuals died from drink driving related fatalities, drink driving continues to be an enormously important public safety issue. What is more, drinking and driving is strongly correlated with youth. After the age of 25, the drink driving rates rapidly decrease. It seems quite plausible that were alcohol to be illegal for those under the age of 18, the 15.1% of 18 to 20 year olds who drink before getting behind the wheel would decrease significantly.
Wood 1 The legal drinking age in Minnesota is currently 21 years old. It was changed from 19 years old to 21 in 1986 when the federal government threatened to take away federal highway money from states that did not have a 21-year-old drinking age. Many people thought raising the legal age to 21 was a good idea. However, in every single state where the drinking age was changed to 21, alcohol consumption by people within the 18 to 20 year old age bracket actually increased. Many argue that part of the appeal of underage drinking is the fact that you are not supposed to be doing it.
Consequences of Underage Drinking & A Lower MLDA Health Issues • Individuals who start drinking earlier than age 21 are more likely to be a driver in a motor vehicle crash, be injured, and be in a physical fight, according to a recent study. The younger the individual, the more likely he or she will experience these The cost of pain and suffering top a outcomes after drinking.10 • Repeated use of alcohol during adolescence can lead to deficits in cognitive abilities, including learning and memory. • Heavy drinking during adolescence and young adulthood is associated with poor cognitive functioning in young adulthood.11 • Serious chronic diseases involving the liver, heart, and digestive system are associated with heavy alcohol consumption.
Riley Bartlett 5/17/11 Every year thousands of underage teens are dying from alcohol related accidents. Around 28% of fatal traffic crashes involving teens are alcohol related. Does the United States keep the drinking age 21, and enforce it strongly or lower the drinking age and teach teenagers to drink in moderation not binge drinking? Even though the Legal drinking age is 21, not everyone believes it should stay that age. Prohibition failed in 1920-1933 which shows that strict regulation of drinking is counterproductive, unenforceable, and leads to an increase in legal underground activity.
Alcoholism is a serious medical problem in our country. Criminal justice experts have estimated that at least 75-80% of defendants included in felony crimes or serious misdemeanors were either under the influence of alcohol or drugs when they committed their crime or they did their mistake/mistakes to survive because they had lost their financial resources due to their addiction. Work productivity has been lowered due to divorce, suicide, increased medical problems, and also school drop-out rate. These are only a few problems caused by alcoholism. Studies have shown that for the most part, we have increased the probability that our child or children will not have a problem with alcohol or drugs.