Should the Legal Drinking Age be Lowered?

Many hold the belief that when someone turns the age of being a legal adult, they should be able to consume alcohol. At 18, someone can vote, enlist in the military, buy a lottery ticket, work full time, and even buy spray paint. Since they are legal adults, why can they not purchase and consume alcohol? According to the CDC, car crashes, deaths from alcohol poisoning, drowning, and suicide have a higher rate of occurence with drinking below the age of 21. 

In 1984, the National Minimum Age Act was successfully authorized that prohibits the possession of alcoholic beverages of those under the age of 21. Scientists and psychologists discovered the brain did not stop developing until the 20´s, hence why the drinking age is 21. It was also found that there was an increase in motor vehicle accidents if minors had the option to drink.

Although, many seem to consider that 18-20 year olds could reduce unsafe drinking activity and driving if consumed in regulated environments and with supervision. On the other hand, Brittanica states that, ¨Lowering MLDA 21 to 18 will irresponsibly allow a greater segment of the population to drink alcohol in bars and nightclubs, which are not safe environments,¨. Restaurant and bar workers can face severe consequences if under age drinking occurs under their supervision. Even then, parents can face legal trouble, such as losing custody of their children. According to the National Youth Rights Association, ¨in 2003 Elsa and George Robinson were sentenced to 27 months in prison for providing alcohol at their son’s birthday party¨.  They celebrated their son’s 16th birthday party in their backyard, until the law got involved.

Overall, lowering the drinking age has been a debate in America for quite some time. The main reason as to why the change was made was from the toll it was taking throughout the country’s highways. Fatality rates spiked in 2019 from youth drivers driving under the influence. Few would say the deaths do not correlate to underage drinking. As expressed, the debate of this law has been passed around from various perspectives, in addition to different courts.