Drinking Age
Drinking is a big problem that causes many teen-age deaths in the United States, however, many people still argue that the legal age for drinking should be reduced to eighteen. This issue has been brought up many times, but the law has not been changed since the change to twenty-one in 1980. States have become stricter about preventing under-age drinking, but teen-agers have no problem getting alcohol. There are many arguments in favor of changing the drinking age back to eighteen. The facts show that drinking alcohol is too large of a responsibility for an eighteen-year-old to handle.In 1980 the government raised the drinking age to twenty-one because the number of drunk driving accidents was causing many teen-age deaths. The young adults of America considered this law a second prohibition. The main objective of the law was to make the young people happier, healthier, and safer (Smith & Smith 1). Because this law was viewed as a revival of prohibition, it was not widely accepted by the public, and some states were hesitant to pass the new law. Despite the opposition, the government pursued the passage of the law and offered states benefits for their cooperation. Some of these benefits included extra government money
Although this law was a good idea and passed with the safety of American teen-agers in mind, many people were not happy with the change. People feel that if eighteen-year-olds are considered adults they should have the right to consume alcoholic beverages without worrying about the law. 2) Beatty, Sally. "Study Finds Alcohol Marketers Boosting Online Pitches to Youth." Wall Street Journal. New York, Dec 17, 1998. Adults over twenty-one that party with friends that are under twenty-one get a bad record for giving alcohol to minors. This type of record can cause a problem in the future when looking for a job, applying for a professional license, or seeking admission to graduate school. These are some heavy prices to pay for young people whose only crime was to engage in the traditional campus rituals of beer drinking and partying. Eighteen-year-olds are treated as adults. They can vote, fight for our country, buy and sell real estate, and raise families of their own. These are responsibilities that only an adult can handle (Smith & Smith 1). 9) Olson, Steve. Alcohol in America: Taking Action to Prevent Abuse. National Academy Press. Waschington, D.C. 1985. 3) Smith, Michael Clay, and Smith, Margaret D. "Treat students as adults: Set the Drinking Age at 18, not 21." The Chronicle of Higher Education. Washington, Mar 12, 1999. 6) Hingson, Ralph W. "College-age drinking problems." Public Health Reports. Hyattsville, Jan/Feb 1998. 4) Brody, Jane. "Coping With Cold, Hard Facts on Teen-Age Drinking." New York Times. New York, Apr 6, 1999.
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Approximate Word count = 1092
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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