Lowering the Drinking age
Ever since the end of prohibition in 1933 the United States government has placed the issue of MLDA (minimum legal drinking age) sensitively in the hands of the states. letting each decide for itself what the minimum age should be. At that time all agreed that the minimum legal drunken age should be 21, where it remained for all states until 1970. Between 1970, and 1975 a number of states (29 to be exact) played around with the idea of lowering that age to 20, 19, and even 18 for some states. At this time the minimum age for other activities, like the right to vote were being lowered as well. The argument was that if a person is considered an adult at 18, and can serve his or her country and vote in it's elections, he or she ought to be able to have a drink. (Toomey 1)During the period in the 70's when many states were lowering their drinking ages scientists started doing studies to determine whether or not the younger drinking ages had any effect on automobile accidents. These studies generally concluded that traffic accidents significantly increased among teenagers after the MLDA was lowered.(Toomey 1). It can, However, easily be argued that since these studies came out right after the drinking ages
Representatives Collin Peterson from Minnesota, Gary Condit from California, and Bill Tauzin from Louisiana are all co-sponsoring the proposal along with Klug. The current standard MLDA is 21, and many feel this is unfair because it crosses to many age, and social barriers. The theory is that by 19 most people have completed or are at least out of high school and are out functioning in a world much older than that of their days in school. Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Dallas are strongly opposed to the plan, but haven't as of yet rallied it's troops because support for the plan is still in its infancy and doesn't seem to have much support yet. (Drinking 1)By making young adults wait until their 21st birthday only breeds disaster, and makes underage drinking seem more mysterious and desirable. Gain is quoted in his web site as saying, ``I don't see how 21 keeps alcohol out of the hands of younger people. Three house members in particular are in favor of Klug's plan. The punishment is usually the loss of the offending teens license, and officials those who stand on the side of lowering the drinking age feel that this would be enough of a deterrent to keep underage teens from drinking and driving. Prohibition didn't stop the American people from drinking, it just forced them to do it in secret, much the way in which states with an MLDA of 21 do today. " (Tumulty 1)In Louisiana recently two bar owners and two youths under 21 have challenged the MLDA in Louisiana, arguing that 18 year olds should have the same constitutional rights as any other adults. When the Government found that many of the states were lowering the drinking age to 18, and 19 it began to worry about the safety of teens in those and neighboring states. By 1989 all 50 states had agreed to raise their MLDA to 21. They are drinking anyway,'' Scott Gorton Marine spokesman at camp Pendelton in San Diego also feels as Gain does and adds, "`If you're going to ask a young man or young wife to go to war and potentially spill blood or die for their country, I think it's safe to say they're old enough to handle alcohol. (Drinking 1)Representative Scott Klug from Washington visits many University campuses, and is always asked by students why the federal government sets the legal drinking age at 21. Katherine Prescott, MADD's national president speaks on behalf of the organization and is quoted as saying, "For the last 15 years we've been marching in one direction and this looks like a small group of people who are trying to go backwards.
Common topics in this essay:
Drinking Age,
Tolerance Laws,
Rights Act,
San Diego,
MLDA Louisiana,
Blood Borders,
Prescott MADD's,
Klug Washington,
West Virginia,
Representative Klug,
drinking age,
lowering drinking,
lowering drinking age,
drinking ages,
mlda 21,
minimum drinking,
minimum legal,
minimum drinking age,
legal drinking,
age 21,
drinking age 21,
collin peterson,
teenage deaths associated,
drunk driving,
legal drinking age,
|
Acceptance Essays
