Legal Drinking Age in the U.S - Case Study Example

Legal Drinking Age in the U.S of the Affiliate Introduction The uncertainty of when underage people will drink again makes them drink more than those within the legal drinking age limit. Making 21 the legal drinking age does not in any way solve alcohol-related problems. In fact, it is one of the reasons as to why many alcohols related deaths are witnessed among the youth (Carpenter & Carlos, 2011). In 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed Federal Uniform Drinking Age Act of 1984 into law. It required all states to implement 21 as the legal drinking age for a period of not more than five years. States that were not willing to implement this legislation encountered a reduction in their federal highway funds. 50 states had adopted the 21 legal drinking age limit by 1988. Before this legislation came into effect, fraternities had kegs in open places in the university, gatherings of students on campus included beer and university administrators including police often strolled through the fraternity parties ensuring that everything was under control. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Mothers Against Drunk Driving, (MADD)’s well-intentioned leaders succeeded in convincing politicians that voting against the bill was a favor of drunken driving. With this concerted effort, the bill gained a unanimous passage in both the Senate and the House. MADD’s website indicates that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approximations show that the new legislation which moved the minimum legal drinking age to 21 saves about 900 lives every year. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Nonetheless, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than 4,300 underage youths die annually as a result of unregulated consumption of alcohol. CDC also revealed that underage people with an age bracket of between 12 and 20 drink 11 percent of the alcohol in the U.S. and it is believed that more than 90 percent of the consumed alcohol is done during binge drinking (Glaser, 2015). WHO and ICAP’s Views Those advocating the 21 age limit observe that higher drinking age minimizes traffic fatalities and accidents related to alcohol by keeping teens whose brain is still developing out of drinking. The U.S. is cited by the World Health Organization as one of the few developed nations with a minimum drinking age of 18 years. Other developed countries with above 21 limits include Japan, Thailand, South Korea and Iceland. Many countries including Denmark, Belgium, and Germany allow teens aged 16 to buy wine or beer. Marjana Martinic the International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP)’s deputy president observes that the views of most countries are that 18 is a reasonable age limit for drinking.He further indicates that the Puritan ethic has molded the way the U.S. regulates alcohol. People view alcohol as a drug and not something which is incorporated in daily lives (Smith & Margaret, 2009). Reasons for Changing the Legal Drinking Limit According to Dwight B. Heath the minimum legal drinking age should be either 6 or 8 years in U.S. Dwight is an anthropology professor and through his proposal he does not intend to get kids drunk instead favors a cultural model that is common in Italy and France where children are served small amounts of wine by their parents at family meals. Such initiatives help parents educate their children about alcohol. Through education, drinking is robbed off its taboo allure which is believed to make rebellious youths sneak to backwoods and basements to drink. Generally people are safer when they begin drinking at younger ages. Heath views that alcohol has no mystique and by contrast there is something of the forbidden fruit syndrome where alcohol is banned until the age 21. The voting age in the U.S was dropped from 21 to 18 in 1971 by the Congress, and many states followed suit by reducing the age limit for drinking. Many Americans viewed that if young Americans fight in Vietnam, serve on a jury and vote why bar them from ordering beer. Not less than half of the states in the U.S by the late 1970s had reduced the age of drinking from 21 to 18 but when research indicated that there was a rise in traffic deaths in these states, they started to change the course. Teenagers who hardly look old enough hold guns to fight for the U.S. and on a daily basis risk their lives. After fighting for a whole day, they are told that they are not allowed to have a beer because they have not reached the legal drinking age. This hardly seems fair. These women and men are allowed to get out of their homes in America for long periods, are given power to shoot and kill people, are put in line of fire, go on convert operations, they surely need a right to engage in drinking. If the U.S. views that 18-year-old teenagers are able to handle all of the above, it is certain that they are responsible enough to have alcohol. A study done by the University of Indiana on 56 college students showered that despite the legal drinking age being changed to 21, lesser legal age students drunk in comparison to underage students. The 21 age limit set for legal drinking is uncalled for because if 18-year-olds can make their mind on which leader elect to govern their country and have a capability of taking a bullet for their nation, they should therefore allowed to buy and drink alcohol. The 21 age limit has resulted in many underage Americans viewing alcohol as a forbidden fruit. This curiosity leads to many teenagers below the legal drinking age drinking secretly. Changing the legal drinking age limit to 18 will reduce the curiosity, and the fruit will not be forbidden anymore (Griggs, 2015). Through their seniors, many college students under the age of 21 get a chance to drink. Since these underage does not get a chance to drink at events where other people above 21 years drink, they become rebellious and ensure that they try out what they have been barred from doing. They, therefore, go ahead and give it a try and given that they do not have a clue of the next time they will have an opportunity to drink again, they tend to drink over. This is the reason for the many underage problems like alcohol-related deaths. Countries like Greece, Italy, and China have lower legal drinking age and experience fewer problems related to alcohol. The current 21 age limit for drinking has triggered more deaths related to alcohol. Legalizing drinking for anyone who has reached 18 years will result in people drinking in public places which will be supervised by the police, health workers, and security guards. The 21-year-old age limit for drinking alcohol sounds hypocritical because an 18-year-old person is always regarded an adult and if he/she commits a crime or makes false judgment can be tried in court. An 18-year-old can, therefore, make a decision as an adult which means they can decision on their own whether to drink or not (Lovett, 2006).Making the legal drinking age 18 will help college management regulate alcohol use which in return will reduce alcohol overconsumption. Many teenagers will drink in public places hence will be monitored unlike situations whereby they drink and hide because it is illegal to drink. It is difficult to monitor underage people who hide to drink because the management cannot go about sniffing cups of the underage or make false accusations. Most 18 years and older people view drinking under 21 as a sign of adulthood. Having reached 18 years and given a go ahead to do everything as well as calling themselves adults and would not allow themselves be barred from being adults through drinking. Binge drinking in conjunction with drug abuse in colleges has resulted in a rise in sexual assault on campus. Dangerous drinking in colleges is currently a rule and is fast leading to disregard for human dignity which is exemplified by parties with sexist and racist undertones, hazing, horrible and at times threatening insults hurled on the social media (Cary, 2014). Allowing teenagers to drink at the age of 18 will reduce the number of lawbreakers in the U.S.A 18 is the age when people enter colleges; it usually is the time for many to take the first sip of alcohol. The rate of alcohol consumption increases when one joins college though there is a little drinking at the high school level. Lowering the drinking age to 18 will mean many of the teenagers will be allowed to drink, and the worry of being arrested by the police will not haunt them. This will ensure that no fake identification cards are made for the youths to help them buy alcohol. Allowing teenagers to start drinking at 18 increases the concentration of students on school work and reduces their tendency to get consumed by alcohol. This is because they have been drinking for some time, and there is no excitement about drinking. Teenagers will, therefore, drink responsibly and avoid problems resulting from alcohol overdrinking. Conclusion Prohibition legislation for regulating irresponsible drinking problems has been tried twice in the past in 1920s and 1850s (DeJong, 2014). Societal problems were witnessed because these legislations were repealed and could not be enforced. The laws could not work in 1850s as well as 1920s, and we are aware that they are not working now. It is, therefore, imperative to rethink concerning the legal minimum drinking age and move it from 21 to 18 for safer, responsible and regulated drinking community. Almost every college and high school students are of the opinion that the drinking age limit in the U.S should be lowered. The U.S has a very big issue with underage drinking, and it is necessary that something be done to save our teenagers from alcohol-related problems. References Carpenter, C. & Carlos, D. (2011).The Minimum Legal Drinking Age and Public Health. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 25.2, 133-56. Cary, M. K., (2014). Lowering the drinking age will prevent unsafe binge drinking. Retrieved from: More http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/05/07/lower-the-us-drinking-age-to-reduce-binge-drinking-and-sexual-assault DeJong, W. B. (2014). "Case closed: research evidence on the positive public health impact of the age 21 minimum legal drinking age in the United States.". Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs. Supplement. 75 Suppl 17: 108–15.PMID 24565317 Glaser, G., (2015). Return the Drinking Age to 18, and Enforce It. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/02/10/you-must-be-21-to-drink/return-the-drinking-age-to-18-and-enforce-it Griggs, B., (2015). Should the U.S. lower its drinking age? Retrieved from: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/16/us/legal-drinking-age/ Lovett, K. (2006). Let Kids Start Drinking At 18: Brooklyn Pol. The New York Post. Smith, M. C & Margaret D. S. (2009).Treat Students As Adults: Set The Drinking Age At 18, Not 21. ebscohost.com. Web. 6 July 2013. Read More