One of the longest on-going debates revolves around the legal drinking age. The age is currently 21 and was changed in 1984 from 18, but I am of the opinion that it should be lowered back to 18.
This might come across as an immature college student who wants to be able to drink freely, rage face and have no concern for the law, but there are many valid reasons as to why this is not the case.
In the United States, the age of adulthood is 18. A person can legally purchase and consume tobacco products, vote, buy lottery tickets and even enlist in the military and serve the country.
If you can join the military, fight and risk your life in the name of the United States, you should be able to go into a bar and order a drink.
It is almost hypocritical that you are given almost all legal powers as an adult except for drinking. It seems strange that 18-year-olds are considered adults, yet not given all of the same rights as someone three years their elder.
In a court of law, at the age of 18, you are no longer tried as a minor. You can be incarcerated for something that a year before would have resulted in a slap on the wrist and a fine.
Teenagers mess up all the time and these years are jokingly associated with acne and rebellion. But these years are when we learn the ropes of life and prepare to become functional adults. Lowering the drinking age to 18 allows more time to get the teenage "wild-years" over with. Getting this stage of alcohol experimentation out of the way earlier allots more time to focus in on long-term goals.
Alcohol is also very easy to obtain. We don't need to kid ourselves here. Fake ID's are easy to get for the right price and are usually good enough to work most places. People who are 21 very often help their younger friends out and buy them alcohol.
The United States frequently associates and compares itself to the United Kingdom. We are similar to them in many areas, yet drinking age is not one of them. In the UK, drinking age is 18. A study from the Office of National Statistics in 2009 shows in the UK, only 1.76 percent of all deaths were alcohol-related. Of this 1.76 percent, the rates were highest among men and women aged 55-74 (41.8 percent for men, 20.1 percent for women) and the rates were lowest among men and women ages 15-34 (2.6 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively). This study shows fatalities from drinking do not generally occur in the younger population.
Similarly, in the U.S., less than 2 percent of all deaths were alcohol related, according to the Center for Disease Control's annual National Vital Statistics Report for 2009. Of the alcohol-related deaths, those in the age range of 15-34 account for only 3.8 percent of the total alcohol-related deaths, while the 55-74 range accounts for 43.2 percent.
Looking at the statistics from the U.S. and the U.K., there is no reason to think alcohol-related deaths would be any higher if the legal age was decreased. We can see that not much would change. The UK has a lower drinking age and the youth of the nation accounts for less alcohol related deaths than those who are older. The younger people are seemingly being safer and more responsible with their alcohol use.
A change in the drinking age would also provide a positive economic impact. With more people allowed to buy alcohol, certainly there would be an increase in both the supply and demand for the product. More money would be flowing through the economy because there would be an increasedin alcohol purchases.
Most people love to have a good time and drink with their friends. It's a major social aspect, not only in college, but throughout life. So cheers ladies and gents, and as always, drink responsibly.
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