After Prohibition, nearly all states restricting youth access to alcohol designated 21 at the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA). In the early 70’s, 29 states lowered the MLDA to 18, 19, or 20. This occurred when 18 year olds were allowed to vote (American Medical Association). In 1987, the United States Government decided to raise the legal drinking age to the age of 21. This causes a lot of controversy with the states. South Dakota was the last state to raise the drinking age to 21 because if the state of South Dakota didn’t comply with the government than the government was going to take away our road maintanance funds. Many people feel like this is just another prohibition that th

e government is trying to do since the other prohibitions that the government tried to do in the 1850’s and in the beginning of 1920 failed. (Dr. Ruth Engs, www2.potsdam.edu) Many people feel that this new form of prohibition is just tearing our youth/young adults away from maturing and it is also causing them to hate our legal system. By law the minimum age of consumption of alcoholic beverages is set by each state independently. In July 1984 Congress passed a bill requiring all states to enforce a minimum drinking age of 21, or they would lose their federal highway funding as punishment. Needless to say every state quickly complied with this financial tribulation, even if it was completely against what state lawmakers believed. (RALLY, 2002)

Some topics in this essay:
Theory/ Experience, Night Drinking, Ruth Engs, Thesis Statement, Alcohol Abuse, Journal Instead, South Dakota, Background Prohibition, Age Act, , drinking age, age 21, college students, underage drinking, lower drinking age, legal drinking, Ø breathing, age 19, drinking college, 19 20, legal drinking age, drinking college students, drinking age 21, lost license, minimum legal drinking,