America Should Lower the Drinking Age Essay Example for Free

America Should Lower the Drinking Age Essay The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 prohibits States from allowing people under the age of 21 from purchasing or publicly possessing alcoholic beverages (Alcohol Policy Information System). Supporters of having 21 as the minimum drinking age point out that between 1982 and 2001, there was a 60% decrease in fatal alcohol-related crashes for drivers ages 16-17 and a 55% decrease among drivers aged 18-20 (Elder and Shults 169). However, while the number of traffic fatalities may have declined, the higher drinking age has also been associated with other problems, including an increase in binge drinking resulting in the death of a growing number of college students (Roan F-1). Instead of focusing almost exclusively on minimum age drinking laws for the reduction of alcohol-related traffic fatalities, law makers should look at the larger picture regarding alcohol use among young adults. If eighteen-year-olds are mature enough to choose whether or not to enlist in the military, then they are mature enough to be expected to be responsible with alcohol. The national minimum drinking age should be lowered to 18. The goal of minimum age drinking laws is to reduce the number of alcohol-related fatalities. As Elder and Shults pointed out, there has been a significant reduction in alcohol-related traffic fatalities since minimum drinking ages were raised to 21. Correlation, however, is not necessarily the same as causation. Other factors may have also contributed to the reduction in fatalities. The effects of improved drivers education, an increased public awareness of the effects of alcohol on driving, and stiffer penalties for all driving under the influence must also be considered. Elder and Shults also noted that among drivers age 21-24, there was a 41% decrease in alcohol-related traffic fatalities during this same period and that drivers over the age of 25 had a 39% decrease. Because these older drivers were not affected by the minimum age law, these reductions in traffic fatalities can only be attributed to education and law enforcement. Rather than promoting the responsible use of alcohol, minimum age laws actually have the opposite effect. Before drinking laws were put into place, the drinking behaviors of adolescents and young adults were controlled by family traditions, community expectations, peer groups, and self-restraint (Ford). While this system did not eliminate the problems of alcoholism and other alcohol-related complications, it did present alcohol as a normal part of the young adults environment. Minimum age drinking laws have attempted to remove alcohol from this environment. As a result, students are more likely to abuse alcohol when it is available. There has been a dramatic increase in binge drinking among college students (Courtney and Polich, 142). Concern for this problem led more than 100 college and university presidents to call for a new debate on lowering the drinking age (Roan). Finally, unenforceable minimum age laws undermine the credibility of law enforcement. The inability of young adults to purchase obtain alcohol legally means that students and other young adults who drink must resort to illegal activities in order to obtain alcohol. Yet despite these legal barriers, many students obtain alcohol with no legal consequences. As a result of this policy, students learn that laws can be circumvented and that law enforcement can be rather selective in choosing which laws will be enforced and which violations will be overlooked. Over time, students may apply this same belief to drug laws, driving laws, and other laws that they believe are not likely to be enforced. Enforcement of the law also places a burden on law enforcement agencies and prevents police from pursuing other illegal activities that are potentially more harmful to the community. Conclusion The National Minimum Age Drinking Act was signed into law in 1984. In many ways, the law reflects Americas political lurch to the right that occurred during the 1980s under President Ronald Reagan, the Moral Majority, and other socially conservative elements that were in power at the time. These groups knew that there were limits to their ability to legislate morality. Prohibition during the 1920s proved that outlawing alcohol would not work. They were, however, successful in passing the minimum age drinking law, a form of prohibition that was limited to people under 21. Minimum age drinking laws are an example of what happens when lawmakers try to legislate morality. By virtually any measure, the current minimum age laws are no more effective than Prohibition was during the 1920s. These laws, like the 18th Amendment, should be repealed. A better solution for Americas alcohol problem would be to educate young people about the responsible use of alcohol, including the potential risks that are associated with this drug and the penalties that people face when they abuse alcohol. This type of knowledge does not magically appear when someone turns 21, but is the result of a culture that gradually prepares the individual to accept the responsibilities of adulthood. Lowering the drinking age to 18, for example, would allow colleges to serve alcohol at official events where student drinking could be monitored and problems could be addressed before they result in a medical emergency. Eighteen-year-olds are old enough to vote, to marry, to enlist in the military, and to sign a legally binding contract. If they are old enough for those adult responsibilities, then they are old enough to decide whether or not they want to drink. Works Cited Alcohol Policy Information System. The 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. Online. Undated. 15 March 2009. http://alcoholpolicy. niaaa. nih. gov/index. asp? SEC=%7B9937ACFC-DB3A-4159-B068-A302CEEE0EDF%7DType=B_BASIC Courtney, Kelly, John Polich. Binge Drinking in Young Adults: Data, Definitions, and Determinants. Psychological Bulletin 135. 1 (2009): 142-156. Elder, RW and RA Shults. Involvement by Young Drivers in Fatal Alcohol-Related Motor-Vehicle Crashes – United States, 1982-2001. JAMA 23. 2(2003):169-170. 8 January 2003. 15 March 2009 http://jama. ama-assn. org/cgi/reprint/289/2/169 Ford, Gene. Why We Should Lower the Drinking Age to 19. Alcohol: Problems and Solutions. Sociology Department, State University of New York, Potsdam, NY. 2007. 15 March 2009. http://www2. potsdam. edu/hansondj/YouthIssues/1046348192. html Roan, Shari. A Lower Legal Drinking Age? Health Experts, College Presidents Debate. LA Times. 1 September 2008. 15 March 2009 http://articles. latimes. com/2008/sep/01/health/he-drinking1? s=gn=nm=Broadrd=www. google. comtnid=1sessid=d49a16c9fafce18046e3bd9ba60cef8d9fdf7a4fpgtp=articleeagi=page_type=articleexci=2008_09_01_health_he-drinking1pg=1