Drinking Age Debate

To some, the drinking age is not a prevalent topic to discuss. However, this is not an arbitrary debate topic. Recently, many states such as California and Wisconsin have been deciding whether they should lower the drinking age. The necessity in changing the legal minimum drinking age has been a long debate, from the Prohibition in the early 1900s to raising the age requirement in the 1980s. Despite the current restrictions, it is undeniable that alcohol is still a prevalent issue today, with many people dealing with alcohol abuse. While it may seem counterintuitive to lower the age, many studies have proven the positive effects of lowering the age and better tactics to fight this problem. Instead of having the law remain the same, it should …show more content…
For instance, this is seen in former president of Middlebury College in Vermont, John McCardell’s explanation to reporter from CBS News, Lesley Stahl: “‘We'd find a party where we know there's underage drinking. We would seal the house. Surround the house with officers and we would write every single underage person coming out of that house. We wrote hundreds and hundreds of tickets those years.’” On the surface, this may seem beneficial, showing these people the consequences of underage drinking. However, the number of tickets given did not dwindle, proving how this only encourages more college students to take extra measures to conceal their drinking habits, secretly drinking in their dorms or in house parties. It is difficult to manage people and have harsh punishments. Instead, if it was legal to drink, they could have went to a bar, where they can limit the amount of alcohol drank. They would also need to purchase the alcohol, which could aid in preventing binge drinking. At a party, they would have a consistent supply of alcohol to their disposal, with no financial burden to worry about. If there was a “lack of a reliable supply…[then] young drinkers are more likely to overindulge when alcohol is available” (Hall-Blanco, Wavrin). This means that since most students cannot buy alcohol on their own, they would drink more than they should when alcohol …show more content…
Chuck Hurley from the Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization claims that since “18 year-olds today get 21 year-olds to go get them liquor, [lowering the age to 18 would mean]…15 year-olds would get the 18 year-olds to do that” (Stahl). Having the minimum age as 18 would further encourage underage drinking in even younger children, would is more detrimental to their health. This is true since minors do not understand their limits and how to drink in moderation. Studies by National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence shows that “[a]lmost two out of every three [is] engaged in binge drinking…[and] as much as 90 percent of the alcohol [is] consumed by young people” (Hall-Blanco, Wavrin). However, this shows the issue of alcohol abuse rather than the effect of the age limit. Lowering the age limit should not be the only step; teaching and explaining to people about drinking in moderation is also important. The age should not be raised because it does not have a large impact on injuries. Instead, it should be instilled from a young age about the necessity in drinking small amounts and to not go over one’s limit. Setting the age minimum high would help enforce the idea that drinking is taboo, but does not prepare people when they begin to drink. Gradually exposing them the alcohol would help them better understand moderate drinking. This is seen to be

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