Technically states have the right to decide their own drinking age, but in 1984 the National Minimum Drinking Age Act forced states to raise their drinking age to 21 or lose federal highway funding. Of course, the states quickly changed their drinking age to 21 in order to keep their funding. Teens can smoke, vote and serve in the armed forces at 18, but they can’t legally drink alcohol until they reach 21. High school sweethearts who get married shortly after high school can’t even have a celebratory champagne toast at their wedding. They are legally adults, but they can’t make their own decision about having a beer with dinner.

However, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) and many substance abuse counselors are against lowering the drinking age. According to MADD, the nationwide “proportion of drivers 16-20 years of age who were involved in fatal crashes, and were intoxicated, dropped 33 percent” from 1988 to 1998 because of the increased drinking age. Additionally, a substance abuse counselor interviewed on my local channel stated a child’s brain is not fully developed at 18. She believes college presidents should encourage education on alcohol rather than trying to change legislation.

What do you think? Should the U.S. drinking age be lowered?

Post from: Blisstree

Debating the Legal Drinking Age