Controversy over the Drinking Age - 958 Words

For decades now, the issue of what 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 to an unspecified number (Amethyst Initiative). In conjunction with this initiative, McCardell wrote an article entitled â€Å"Rethinking the drinking age of 21†. On the other hand, an article in the Chicago Tribune called†¦show more content†¦Yet the Chicago Tribune challenges McCardell’s belief that lowering the drinking age will result in safer drinking. The Chicago Tribune states, â€Å"legalizing something generally invites more indulge nce, not less.† It is the belief of the Chicago Tribune that taking part in a greater consumption of alcohol can hardly be safe. The Chicago Tribune reinforces this belief with a statistic, stating that â€Å"when states lowered their drinking ages in the 1970s, alcohol-related crashes involving teens rose.† For this reason, the Chicago Tribune disagrees with the claim that a lower drinking age will result in safer drinking. Although McCardell and the Chicago Tribune seem to be at irreconcilable odds on the matter, both appear to share a common value: the safety of individuals. For instance, McCardell argues that statistics do not really prove why the legal drinking age of 21 results in greater safety for everyone, and he worries about the repercussions that the drinking age has had on the safety of college students. Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune uses statistics to express its belief that the drinking age of 21 is safer than that of a lower drinking age, and that lower ing the drinking age will only cause more harm to individuals, not result in their safety. Both essays are primarily concerned with which drinking age will lead to the optimal safety of the individual. Perhaps this common ground can lead to a compromise within the debate concerning the legal drinking age.Show MoreRelatedLowering The Legal Drinking Age857 Words   |  4 PagesAs we know, the United States has the highest drinking age in the world. By 1988 the entire U.S had adopted the Federal Uniform Drinking Age Act, which set the drinking age to twenty-one. However, in 1920 the United States banned the sale, production, importation, and transportation of alcohol. This era known as the Prohibition sparked the popularity of hidden underground bars and events. The Prohibition Era is a prime example of how people did anything to intake alcohol and eventually this ledRead MoreEssay about Drinking Age Controversy1076 Words   |  5 PagesDrinking Age Controversy In the United States, a citizen is considered an â€Å"adult† at the age of 18, and with that new title comes many responsibilities, such as the right to vote and to join the army. However, the legal drinking age in America is twenty-one. This issue has been a major controversy for some time now that faces both national and state governments. Should the drinking age be lowered to the age when legally a person becomes an adult and assumes all other adult responsibilities,Read MoreControversial Analysis: Drinking Age1278 Words   |  6 PagesEnglish 102 The Drinking Age and Young Adults. Because underage drinking is a major problem for young adults, the drinking age has become a very controversial issue. In the 1990s, the drinking age was 18, but it was changed to 21 in 1984. 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