Should the Drinking Age Be Low
During the last thirty years, the American government has done there best to keep teenagers under strict drinking laws. This is due to the fact that teenagers have an irresponsible reputation when it comes to substance abuse. The drinking age was raised from eighteen to twenty-one within the last two decades, and although I do not agree with the change, I can see how much controversy is involved. At the age of eighteen you are given many privileges and responsibilities of an adult, but are not allowed to drink legally for three more years. To me, that does not seem fair, but the arguments made against lowering the drinking age are viable. At the age of 18, American men are required to enroll in the army, and fight for their country during times of war. This implies that they are mature enough to handle facing death, which is something that most adults are not prepared for, even in their old age. One of the main arguments for raising the drinking age was that teenagers were not drinking reasonably. I believe that if you are mature and responsible enough to fight in a gruesome war, then that should enable them to drink. However, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administ
This privilege is usually the thing that separates teenagers from adults. ration did a survey on Drug Abuse, "[which] shows disappointing results in the fight against youth alcohol use, reporting an estimated 9. All of these are factors that prove the reason young adults should be given complete freedom at the age of eighteen and not partial. In a recent "National Review," a young Texan supports the campaign to lower the drinking age saying that "[i]t is a ludicrous and demeaning law, but it has been policed with all the gung-ho enthusiasm that we have come to expect in a land where the prohibitionist impulse has never quite died" (Struttaford 1). General Accounting Office (GAO), Underage Drinking: Information on Federal Funds Targeted at Prevention, shows that only $71 million of the federal government's fiscal year 2000 budget was specifically allocated to prevention of underage drinking" (Hanks 1). People are able to vote at the age of 18, enabling them to participate in making decisions about who will run the country. I still believe that people should consider lowering the drinking age, but I am now more tolerant of keeping it at twenty-one. The statistics are convincing that the majority of young adults at the age of eighteen may still not be mature enough to handle the responsibility of drinking. If they are ready to make that decision, then it should be assumed that they are ready to decide whether or not they want to drink. Two people are allowed to join in holy matrimony legally at the age of 18. If you are considered an adult by society, and able to partake in official activities, then there is no reason that they should be denied the ability to drink. This contradicts my theory that young Americans can drink responsibly, and is a good argument against the possibility of lowering the drinking age back to eighteen. 7 percent) were binge drinkers and 2. This implies that legally, they are ready to engage in a commitment that will require responsibility and maturity.
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