Increasing The Legal Drinking Age Limit - 1502 Words

Increasing the Legal Drinking Age Limit According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), underage drinking is a leading public health problem in this country (NIH, 2016). The NIAAA also estimates that approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking (NIH. 2016). This includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 as a result of homicides, 300 from suicide (NIH. 2016). The National Minimum Drinking Age Act (NMDAA) was passed by Congress and signed by President Regan in 1984 (Miller, 2016). This law established a national drinking age of 21. Twenty-nine states made the decision to lower the legal drinking age but quickly changed it back to 21 after there was a rise among teenage and young adult highway deaths. Before NMDAA, states were responsible for establishing their own drinking ages that varied from the age of 18-21 (Miller, 2016). According to Miller, there is little doubt that many high school and college students are drinking in excess and irresponsibly (Miller, 2016). The current message is that one should wait until they are 21 to drink and/or purchase alcohol. If the drinking age were raised adults would have to take many things into consideration such as their driving record, criminal record and overall responsibility. Many adults do not want to risk losing any of this at the age of 25. Many 21 year olds live at home with their parents or attend college where binge drinking andShow MoreRelatedEconomics Intervention and Externalities Essay example939 Words   |  4 Pagesevaluate a measure imposed by the government in order to combat a negative externality. Since the start of January, Netherlands has increased the legal drinking age in the country from 16 years to 18 years (Xuereb). The government simply tried to internalize the externalities caused due to drinking, by inflicting a new law that would ch ange the legal drinking age. The government believed that this would be beneficial to the society. The reasons that led to this change were the increased rates of alcoholRead MoreLowering The Legal Drinking Age1387 Words   |  6 PagesThe concerns about safety involving alcohol, including alcohol-related fatalities, â€Å"binge drinking†, and long-term health effects, will not be compromised by lowering the legal drinking age to nineteen in the United States. Activists who wish to raise the legal minimum age frequently discuss the ways that driving while intoxicated endangers countless lives every day in the United States, and is an increasing problem in model Europe as well. However, drunk driving increases will secrecy, not withRead MoreThe Effects Of Lowering The Drinking Age1426 Words   |  6 Pages underage drinking is perhaps one of the most controversial topics of our generation. Why do our young people disobey this law? Are they lost? Who will answer the call of t he lost? Having the age to drink legally at the age of 21 may seem like it would never be disobeyed; however, over time, underage drinking has become more and more prevalent. In today’s society, a few choice young people have grown to control the desire to break the law to consume alcohol while at the appropriate age. However,Read MoreIs it Right to Lower the Drinking Age?1070 Words   |  4 Pagesissue. My question is, â€Å"Why should we lower the legal drinking age†? Current proposals to lower the minimum legal drinking age to 18 would have some benefits like increasing revenue for bars and liquor stores. However the risks surpass the benefits. Many people think that if you’re 18 you’re portrayed as an adult, you’re old enough to serve your country, vote, and make your own decisions. In some cases this could be true, but lowering the drinking age would be way too risky for themselves and othersRead MoreEssay on Underage Drinking in Australia64 2 Words   |  3 PagesOver time, it has become a regular thing for citizens of Australian to drink excessive amounts alcohol; Australians of many different ages drink alcohol for a wide range of reasons; whether alcohol is being consumed due to a special occasion, for stress relief, or as an (not so good) anti-depressant. Alcohol, believe it or not makes a huge impact on Australians as young as 14. Statistics show that at least 90% of teenagers 14 years old and up have tried alcohol at least once, and estimates also showRead MoreControversy over the Drinking Age958 Words   |  4 Pageswhat age should be considered the proper age to drink alcohol has been intensely debated. Since the 1980s, the nationwide legal drinking age has been 21 and older for the United States. However, this age limit imposed on the consumption of alcohol was controversial then, and it continues to be so today. In 2008, John McCardell, leader of Choose Responsibility and former president of Middlebury College, joined a campaign known as the Amethyst Initiative, which proposed lowering the drinking age toRead 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 More Lower Legal Drinking Age Essays1249 Words   |  5 Pages Since the states increased their drinking age to 21 in 1987, every citizen of this country between the ages of 18 and 20 have been oppressed by the very people elected to power to protect their rights. It is evident that the legal drinking age among Americans should be lowered to the legal age of adulthood, 18 years. At this age, any American can marry without their Parent’s approval and can move out of their guardian’s house and live on their own. Why are these adults deprived of their right toRead MoreNot Lowering the Drinking Age1642 Words   |  7 PagesLowering the Drinking Age Many teenage deaths in the United States are caused in some way by the influence of alcohol; however, many people still believe that the legal drinking age should be reduced to eighteen. This issue has been going on for years, but the law has not been changed since the change to twenty-one in 1980. States have become stricter about preventing under-age drinking, but teenagers have no problem getting alcohol. There are many arguments in favor of changing the drinking age back toRead MoreAlcohol Is The Most Widely Used Social Drug Essay1281 Words   |  6 Pages‘risky’ drinking can cause serious health, personal and social problems. Heavy drinkers, binge drinkers and very young drinkers are at risk. Binge drinking is a particular problem among younger people, but anyone who drinks heavily or drinks too much in one session is at risk of both immediate and long-term alcohol related harm For children and young people under 18 years, not drinking is the safest option. Those who are under the age of 15 years of age at the greatest risk of harm from drinking alcohol