The Legal Drinking Age 18 or 21 - 1770 Words

When someone turns 18 they acquire certain rights. They can vote for legislation, enroll in the military and buy a house. Before 1984, they were also allowed to buy alcohol. This all changed when President Reagan signed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. This act stated that the drinking age would change to 21 and it has remained that way since. There has been controversy on the effectiveness of the law because most people drink before they turn 21. Which side is right? Was Reagan correct for implementing the drinking age as 21 or are the multiple college president and chancellors of Amethyst Initiative that believe it should be 18? Between the 1920’s and 1933 the use and purchase of alcohol was illegal. In 1933 when†¦show more content†¦Also, a drinking license would be issued to people who pass the final exam at the end of the 40-hour course (Lenek 1958). A new effort is also being made by the group called Amethyst Initiative, which was introduced by Choose Responsibility. One hundred and thirty five chancellors and college presidents have signed the Initiative to support a new way to prepare the youth for drinking. It’s no surprise that college students drink, college chancellors are not oblivious and want to prepare their students. The American Journal on Public Health stated, â€Å"College students are more likely to engage in heavy drinking than their peers who do not attend college. Two in five students nationally engaged in binge drinking on at least one occasion in the past two weeks†(Nelson 987). It’s a big problem in the United States. Colleges have started taking action toward helping students with alcohol education. As I enrolled into University of Massachusetts this semester, it was mandatory to take â€Å"My Student Body† which is an online course that taught basic facts about alcohol and marijuana. It had two parts; a survey that determined whether you were a light, medium or heavy drinker, and then there were information articles about alcohol that you were tested on later. It seems silly that there would be an alcohol survey for the incoming class if the drinking ageShow MoreRelatedMicroeconomics Essay- Suppose the Government Raises the Legal Drinking Age in the Uk from 18 to 21. Conduct an Economic Analysis of This Policy to Examine Its Impact on Affected Markets.1260 Words   |  6 PagesSuppose the government raises the legal drinking age in the UK from 18 to 21. Conduct an economic analysis of this policy to examine its impact on affected markets. With reference to the above statement, if the UK government were to increase the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 there are two markets that would mainly be affected- the producers, which is the alcohol industry as a whole and the consumers who are the UK citizens between the age of 18 and 21. A market is a group of buyers and sellersRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered988 Words   |  4 PagesThe Legal Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered There are copious amounts of people who believe that the legal drinking age should be lowered to eighteen. Others think the drinking age needs to remain the same. A few of those also conclude the legal age of adulthood should be raised to 21. The belief is if the adolescent brain has not matured enough to support alcohol use by age 21, it cannot make the responsible decisions required at 18 years of age. Voters should make the decision toRead More The Drinking Age Should NOT Be Lowered Essay1006 Words   |  5 Pagesminimum legal drinking age. Choose Responsibility, a group founded by John McCardell, proposes that upon completion of a 40 hour course to educate young people about alcohol, 18, 19, and 20 year old people should be licensed to drink. The Amethyst Initiative, part of Choose Responsibility, is a petition to Congress to rethink the minimum legal drinking age. Several college leaders have signed this petition in the belief that lowering the minimum legal drink ing age will reduce binge drinking on collegeRead MoreShould The Legal Alcohol Age Be Changed?1560 Words   |  7 Pages To fight for our country at the age of 18 and seeing things that only you could imagine in the battlefield. Coming home from deployment and just wanting a simple beer for your hard work but not being able to buy any because you are not 21 years of age. How is that fair to the men in the military forces? Fighting for our country’s freedom but not being able to have a few beers with your closest friends and family members. The topic of the legal alcohol age being changed has been a great topicRead MoreKeeping the Minimum Legal Drinking Age1283 Words   |  6 Pagesminimum legal drinking age in the United States or not. Many Americans forbid the idea of legalizing the drinking age so that it would be profitable to the businesses. Likewise, there have been many advantages and disadvantages of why should the government allow young adults drink under the age of 21. To prevent this issue, many Americans have provided reasoning that will support the idea of keeping the minimum legal drinking age where it is now. The government should maintain the minimum legal drinkingRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered From The Age Of 21 Essay980 Words   |  4 Pagesconsidered â€Å"adults† cannot even make their own decisions? The drinking age on alcohol is a controversial social and cultural issue in today’s society; all fifty states have a minimum drinking age of 21. The legal drinking age should be lowered from the age of 21 to 18 allowing young adults to be granted the right to drink in restaurants, bars, at social events, in the comfort of their own home, and so on. If anything, lowering the legal drinking age would have a positive impact on the United Sates economyRead MoreLegalizing the Drinking Age to 181624 Words   |  7 PagesLegalizing the Drinking Age to 18 When people turn to the age of eighteen, they are finally considered an adult. They can join the army, have the right to vote, buy cigarettes or tobacco products, get a tattoo and even die for our country, but they aren’t allowed to buy alcohol? A person can be responsible enough to live on his or her own, make money, pay bills, and yet they are not old enough to purchase or consume any type of alcohol. Underage drinking has been a major controversial issue forRead MoreThe Generations Of People Who Were Born After 1984 Have1284 Words   |  6 PagesThe generations of people who were born after 1984 have only known the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) to be 21 years old. But, it was not so long ago when the minimum legal drinking age was 18. In 1984 Congress passed the MLDA Act as a result of the rise in drunk driving accidents involving teens and alcohol related deaths. This Act ultimately made the states raise their MLDA to 21 from 18 for fear of losing federal highway fun ds. There have been many debates about it and whether or not it shouldRead MoreThe Minimum Drinking Age Act1692 Words   |  7 PagesMinimum Drinking Age Act. This act stated that all states must raise their minimum drinking age to 21. Individuals under the age of 21 would now be prohibited from purchasing or being in public possession of any alcoholic beverage. Though not every state was keen on this idea, they all jumped to raise the minimum drinking age due to the government threat that they would lose up to 10% of their federal highway funding if they ignored the request. However, since the National Minimum Drinking Age Act wasRead MoreMinimum Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered1253 Words   |  6 Pages Minimum Legal Drinking Age Should the drinking age be lowered from 21 to a younger age? Ever since the end of prohibition in 1933 the United States government has placed the issue of 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 drinking age should be 21, where it remained for all states until