Here's an issue that may affect many of you in the not-so-distant future: the legal drinking age in the U.S. This issue causes a lot of controversy in this country; people feel very strongly about it on both sides. Read the following article about the Amethyst Initiative, an organization of college presidents that is advocating the re-lowering of the drinking age to 18 years of age:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26271328/
Then think about the pros and cons of this issue. You might even want to do some additional research to help you decide what you think. If you choose to respond to this post, address the following debate proposition:
The legal age for persons to drink alcohol in the United States should remain at 21 years.
In formal debates, the issue to be argued is always stated in terms of the status quo position; that is, how the issue currently stands.
When you write your response, tell us whether you are making a pro or con argument. If you agree with the proposition above, you are making a pro argument. If you disagree with the proposition, you are making a con argument.
The most important part of your response is to SUBSTANTIATE YOUR POSITION!!! Tell us why your position is correct. Using legitimate information you find outside of the article will make your position more persuasive. If you use outside information, tell us where you got it.
20 comments:
The legal age for persons to drink in the United States should remain at 21 years. I totally agree with that because research has shown that the brain doesn't fully mature until it is AT LEAST 21. That is why some people argue that an 18 year old should not be tried as an adult because truly their brain is not fully developed therefore it is not an adult brain. If we were to once again allow 18 year-olds to drink they may destroy their brain before it even has a chance to develop. I think that if we were to lower the age limit there would be even younger kids drinking instead of the majority of the problem being in college and high school it would shift to being in high school and middle school. I think that instead of fighting to get the age lowered why not try to figure out how to solve the underage drinking problem that is on hand now.
the comment above was posted by Christina Hetzer
I think lowering the drinking age back down to 18 could be a really good idea. We all know that students already drink under the age limit and this might be a way to let them drink more responsibly. The U.S. has the highest drinking age of 21 compared to the rest of the globe. As you can see many other countries have significantly lower drinking ages, some even lower than 16. Here's the link I found to drinking ages in other countries... http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/LegalDrinkingAge.html As it said in the article why should we be allowed to vote, inlist in the military, and have other freedoms at 18, but not be allowed to drink? I don't really think 3 years is going to make that much of a difference and anyway most college students already drink underage.
-Jenny Burdock
I beleive the legal drinking age for teens should be lowered to 18. Children and teens alike have been drinking under age as long as the law has been enforced. By lowering the age the rise in alchole will increase yes, but why make the mistake of doing something drunk when your future depends on your college career. At 18 you are considered a child and at 21 your an adult, so if you make a mistake at 21 the consequences are much higher. It's the curiosity of never having beer that makes it so dangerous and that what these major Universities are trying to say.
I do believe that the drinking age should stay at 21 years of age. Although I do agree with Mr. Henry Wechlser in his analysis of why the college presidents would want this, I do not believe its what's what best for the students. And shouldn't that be the college president's number one priority? In the article, the statement is made by the College President's that the law as of now is encouraging dangerous drinking. That is completely wrong. If a student wants to drink at age 18, and do it dangerously, that is that students problem, and should not be blamed on the law. The numbers are definitely frightening. 500,000 injuries? Yeah, thats scary. But how would lowering the drinking age change this behavior? It would just make the alcohol more easily accessible to the students. If they really are in this for the health and safety of the students, they could start alternative programs. By lowering the drinking age, they would be doing nothing but rewarding these students for their illegal behavior, rather than trying to fix it. This is no solution.
-Katie Spriggs
The legal drinking age for people to drink in the united states is 21. As we all know there is underage drinking happening all the time. Last summer I took a trip to Italy where there was no drinking age and children as young as four and five are introduced to a glass of wine with their evening meal. Because their is no drinking age in Italy and many other countries they dont have a bad underage drinking problem. For kids here in the US we hold drinking from minors which makes them think that by the time they get to twenty one they're now legally allowed to do something thats been illegal they're entire lives. Its as if we make the whole drinking issue out to be a big thing when really....ITS NOT!!!
ABOVE COMMENT BY ZACK SOLOMON
I am making a con arument, and saying that lowering the drinking age to 18 is a good idea. I definitely think it would reduce the number of binge drinkers. Almost everyone in college drinks underage, anyway. I know a few 21-year-olds who admit that once you turn 21, drinking's not a big deal anymore. Maybe this would be the case for 18 year olds- they wouldn't consider drinking alcohol as exciting anymore. Honestly, I think the biggest problem with drinking is not the alcohol itself; it's the drinking and driving. I really think the government should focus on stopping drunk driving instead of worrying about the drinking age. No matter what age a person it, it's never safe to drive under the influence of alcohol. I read an article written by a professor at Indiana University (http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/articles/cqoped.html), and he relates the drinking age to the United States's earlier attempts at prohibition. He said it didn't work then, and it's not working for minors now.
I think that by lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 would be a good idea. Everybody knows that there are tons of people in high school that drink underage. Its going to happen no matter what the government tries to do to stop it. Teenagers are notorious for being rebellious especially when it comes to alcohol. If the drinking age were 18, kids would not think drinking was such a big deal and they wouldn't worry about it as much. The article talked about how someone that was 18 was mature enough to go and die in Iraq for our country, but they weren't allowed to take a drink of alcohol. I think this is totally unfair. If you are mature enough to join the military then you should be mature enough to drink. Not all 18 year old would drink responsibly if the law were changed, but then again, not all 21years old drink responsibly while the law still stands. Like stated in the above posts, drinking isnt the problem - its what people do when they're drunk thats the problem.
-Rachel Shambaugh
I am for keeping the legal drinking age at 21.
Point 1: If the age is lowered to 18 and we make alcohol more available to teens, then we are encouraging them to drink at an earlier age and not necessarily sending the message that binge drinking is dangerous. We need to make alcohol MORE difficult to get – put a high tax on alcohol that the kids can’t afford and provide more alternatives to drinking activities on campuses.
Point 2: According to an article I read there is no recent trend of increased drinking on campuses. This researcher from Duke states that drinking on campuses has remained steady or actually decreased over the last 20 years.
Point 3: Let’s compare alcohol to another dangerous additive substance…cigarettes. Right now you can legally buy cigarettes at age 18, but I read two different articles that said that 63% of the people surveyed wanted to raise the age to buy cigarettes to 21. What’s the difference between cigarettes and alcohol? Both cause life threatening diseases, change people’s behaviors, are addictive – and cost our country lots of money for healthcare.
Pont 4: I don’t agree with the statement that if you’re old enough to join the military and fight for our country you should be old enough to drink. We don’t have a draft in this country. Enlisting in the military is a career choice, no different than me deciding to attend college or someone else taking a full-time job after high school. What does that have to do with alcohol? In fact, I would rather see the military protect our younger soldiers by keeping them from drinking. They need to have clear minds and fast reflexes – both of which are affected by alcohol consumption. People under age 21 are affected even more than adults in these areas according to the article I read.
http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/1College_Bulletin-508_361C4E.pdf
http://www.duke.edu/~amwhite/College/college3.htm
- Jenna Hansroth
I don't see any harm in lowering the drinking age to eighteen. I feel that if the age is lowered then it won't appear as 'bad' as it seems to teenagers. Many countries around the world have drinking ages lower than what we have in the States. Some countries even have the drinking age as low as sixteen. If the drinking age was to be eighteen then I do believe that are country as a whole would need to change our views towards the substance. The country overreacts about anything which makes it all the more enticing for young rebellious teens. If we accepted change and the events we can not control a little better perhaps we would be more open to the idea of the drinking age being eighteen.
I found a website, The International Center of Alcohol Policies, which list the drinking age of countries around the world. You can find it here: http://www.icap.org/PolicyIssues/YoungPeoplesDrinking/AgeLawsTable/tabid/219/Default.aspx . It categorizes the ages by off-premises retail or on-premises retail. Off-premises is basically if the person was to go to a supermarket and buy alcohol. On-premises is if they are in a bar or restaurant and consume the product there. I find it interesting because some may argue that lowering the age will only increase drunk driving. If it was just lowered to off-premises retail then they could go to their house or party and drink it there not having to worry about the trip home from the bar. I was looking through the site and found an interesting topic on young people and alcohol. (which can be found here: http://www.icap.org/portals/0/download/all_pdfs/blue_book/Module_11_Young_People_and_Alcohol.pdf )
I found this statement on that site, "Comparative studies across countries suggest that overall drinking culture is an important
determinant of how young people drink. Within Mediterranean cultures, for example, young
people are more likely to drink and drink more often than their counterparts in other regions
(Currie et al., 2004; Hibell et al., 2000, 2004; Norström, 2002). At the same time, they are also
less likely to engage in excessive and extreme drinking patterns, to get drunk, or to display
otherwise problematic drinking behaviors. By contrast, their counterparts in Scandinavia are more
likely to drink in a problematic and risky way. These results, coupled with other findings (Araoz,
2004; Choquet, 2004; Heath, 2000), suggest that culture plays a prominent role in setting norms
and expectancies around drinking, including young people’s drinking. "
Greece has no off-premises drinking age. That means that anyone of any age can drink alcoholic beverages in their own home. The on-premise drinking age is only seventeen. In Sweden the drinking age is eighteen but bars and clubs tend to enforce twenty as the drinking age. What we should not be worried about is how often but how excessive. A glass of wine with dinner can help improve heart health. " Of 21 affluent countries studied at various intervals over more than 20 years, France had the highest wine intake and the second-lowest cardiovascular disease mortality rate -- a phenomenon that some have called the "French paradox." " (can be found here http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/heart/9907/06/wine.heart/index.html) By the way, the drinking age in France is sixteen.
If we change the drinking age we need to take a look at how our culture looks at alcohol. We should not let young people perceive it as a way to act out against controlling parents. It shouldn't be view as how to get trashed at a party. If we just look at it as something that we accept and enjoy as a part of everyday life then what fun is that?
I am not going to deny the fact that alcohol is an addictive dangerous substance. If it consumed in moderation than it is not harmful. Almost anything now is harmful.
I don't go out in get trashed at parties so this view is not because I want to be able to go out and do that when I turn eighteen in a few months. This view is not because my family owns a bar. This view is because I have personally known way to many people who have let their lives be ruined because of alcohol. I feel that if as a country we looked at alcohol a different way then perhaps those actions would not have been taken. I not only believe that the drinking age should be lowered but that a view towards the substance needs to change.
I think that lowering the drinking age to 18 is a REALLY good idea. Think about it teenagers usually drink to get drunk and all of the excitment of being drunk. Everyone wants to get wasted, thats all they want. So if they lower the drinking age to 18, yes there will be more drinkers, but the whole excitment about getting drunk wont be so exciting anymore. Then, the first time drinkers, wont be so hyped up on getting drunk because they know that its not really fun to do. Some mey disagree but thats my opinion on the matter.
-Rickli
I think the legal age to drink should drop to 18 years of age. I think this because you are considered an adult at the age 18. You are also allowed to join the military and fight for your country at 18 to. You also can vote for the people in government so why shouldn't they be allowed to drink at 18?
kudos to rebecca and areece, I have a con argument too, I also think that if people are old enough to go to war for our country then they should be able to drink. The government should stop worrying about how old we are when we drink and worry about what we do after we drink, driving should not be an option after drinking. Just think of how many people could be saved if instead of stopping some older teens from drinking, they stopped a 50yr old man from driving. This is the same issue with guns and other things.
There is a point that there will be a chance that there will be more crashes. For the most part, if people start drinking at a younger age, they'll be more responsible. Most kids only drink because they think they're breaking the rules. If you take that away from them, they won't find it as great. There will still be problems with alcoholics (as there always be), but kids understand more than you think. They understand drunk driving is bad. Plus, college kids won't get in as much trouble for underage drinking. It's an obviously ignored rule already. Making the age limit younger will just save alot of kids from getting in trouble for something they'll do anyway.
I wanted to make a comment that when you join the military you are allowed to drink on base not in public. So you can actually can drink just not every where
I think that the age should be 18. If you can die for your country and vote why shouldn't you be able to drink. Most people who want to drink are going to find a way to anyway so why not just lower the age.
The Above Comment is by J Fox
I agree with Rebecca and the others that agree that the drinking age should be changed to 18. Everyone knows that college students drink illegally, then taking away the excitement would make it less of a risk. Like Rebecca said, the drunk driving is the issue... not the age limit. Mary made a really good point. If you lower the age, the responsibility of the college students would increase. Most students would rather keep their college career than throw it away because of drinking. Also, if an 18 year-old is considered an adult, along with a 21 year-old, than why does it matter? When you turn 18, you're an adult. You can vote, serve for your country, and it makes no sense that other adults can drink, but 18 year-olds cannot.
Ok. Christina, you were correct, the brain doesn't fully mature by 18, nor does it until 21 either, in fact- it is uncommon for the frontal lobes to not be developed until around 25. However- in saying what you did, you implied that every drink we have will get us intoxicated. THIS PART AGREES WITH SOLOMON'S POST. In Germany, the age is 15- their crime rate due to drunk incidents is.. well.. LOW. Simply put, if your not mature enough to handle your control, and have only one beer or one wine, then you shouldn't be allowed to have alcohol at all.
Americans aren't well-known for their maturity or self-control. *cough, cough*..
This is probably why most kids drink underage, they need to learn how to not binge- like the article said.
Christina, small doses of alcohol does not affect your brain development. In scholar articles the drinkers were "binge drinkers" meaning they have no self-control. We've been told for as long as I can remember "don't drink before 21"...
I would like to know WHY NOT?!
We've been told this for so long we no longer question it, however the lab tests and brain scans and etc. was of binge drinkers and teenage alcoholics- this is understandable because it would make their case more substantial, since these would show the most dramatic results.
IN CONCLUSION, we're in charge of our own health so we should be allowed to decide what we put in our body. We've been given all the information on binge alcoholic drinking- some of which was dramtized- so we should know it's affects, and be smart enough to avoid it.
The European governments trust their youth- it's a shame the American can't trust theirs to be reasonable and responsible.
:)
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