Should the legal drinking age be lowered? (POSITION PAPER)

If we (adults between 18 and 21) can still be trusted enough to fight in wars, if we can be trusted enough to vote for our leaders, if we can be trusted enough to have sex, then why the hell can't we be trusted with a glass of wine?

By law, anyone 18 years and older will be tried as an adult in court, is allowed to vote, and is required to pay taxes. People between the ages of 18 and 20 can do anything they want to except drink. They can even get married. “They can’t even have a celebratory sip of champagne at their own weddings (Hanson).” Something is wrong when a person can hunt wildlife at the age of 11, but cannot be trusted with beer when they reach age 18. On every U.S. citizens 18th birthday, the law no longer views him/her as a child yet he is restricted from many places of social activity. Bars and many dance clubs are strictly for those 21 and over due to the legal drinking age in America, so many legal adults are not permitted entry. A difference obviously exists between an 18 year old adult and a 21 year old adult; however, since they are viewed by law as equals shouldn't they have the same privileges? Obviously certain laws that regulate activities by age are nece

If more young adults were drinking in public places as opposed to dorm rooms and their parents basements, the possibility of excessive drinking would be lowered. The number of people present and the way in which bars and clubs are run provide the structured environment necessary to promote safer drinking. It is far less likely for someone to die of alcohol poisoning in a bar than in a private home because the number of people capable of recognizing alcohol related problems greatly increases.

Americans hold personal freedom to be an undeniable right. I believe that the right to drink one's self into a drunken state still falls under the personal rights category; however, this basic freedom is restricted by the implementation of the 1984 law. Instead of being able to have complete control over one's life when they reach the legal age of adulthood, citizens are forced to wait an additional three years for an equal level of freedom. A need for drinking regulation definitely exists, yet it needs to coincide with other laws defining adult privileges. All rights would be gained simultaneously and lowering the legal drinking age to 18 would erase the discrepancy that now exists.

Attempting to challenge the law through underage drinking would be greatly decreased. For many college students that fall in between years of legal adulthood and legal drinking age, the desire to drink is encouraged by getting a

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