The Repeal Of The National Minimum Drinking Age - 927 Words

The repeal of prohibition by the twenty-first Amendment in December of 1933 allowed for each state to set its own alcohol consumption age. After the passage of the twenty-sixth Amendment, which lowered the national drinking age to eighteen, thirty states had lowered the minimum drinking age to eighteen, nineteen, or twenty (â€Å"Prohibition†). In 1984, the enactment of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act prompted states to raise the legal age for purchase of public possession of alcohol to twenty-one or risk losing millions in federal highway funds. By 1988, all fifty states had raised the minimum drinking age to twenty-one. The United States is one, of just a handful of countries to have a drinking age as high as twenty-one. Of the one hundred and ninety nations, one hundred and fifteen, or sixty-one percent, of the countries have a legal drinking age starting at eighteen or nineteen. In some countries such as the Central African Republic, the drinking age starts at ten (M inimum Legal Drinking Age). The United States should follow suit with most of the other countries and lower the drinking age to eighteen. Dr. Henry Wechsler, a researcher at Harvard School of Public Health, and a leading expert on college binge drinking states, â€Å"President Ronald Reagan made the legal drinking age 21, it was the right decision. The Legal drinking age should remain at 21 for the entire nation† (Giamo 1). Although the legal age to purchase alcohol is twenty-one, a majority of students inShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Alcoholism On The American Society898 Words   |  4 Pagesappeared more problematic, the amendment was overridden. During the period following the repeal of prohibition the states were each given the task to assign minimal drinking ages for their state; however, this was not the correct decision. While federalism is great, the inconsistency between varying states was not working. This was a catalyst for the federal government establishing 21 as the National minimum drinking age. While President Reagan and his administration saw the drastic effects alcohol hasRead MoreMinimum Leg al Drinking Age Should Be Lowered1253 Words   |  6 Pages2017 Minimum Legal Drinking Age Should the drinking age be lowered from 21 to a younger age? Ever since the end of prohibition in 1933 the United States government has placed the issue of minimum legal drinking age sensitively in the hands of the states, letting each decide for itself what the minimum age should be. At that time all agreed that the minimum legal drinking age should be 21, where it remained for allRead MoreProhibition During The Era Of 1920-1933 Essay814 Words   |  4 Pagesmanufacture and sale of alcoholic drinks for common consumption according to dictionary.com. Furthermore, this amendment concurs that alcohol beverages could not be made, transported, or sold legally in the United States. People started to trust that drinking would demolish ones character, change politics, and created crime. On the other hand, the prohibition amendment did lower alcohol consequences outcomes, in the end this amendment should never have been passed as it caused more organized crime andRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered1732 Words à ‚  |  7 PagesThe definition of the word adult is: â€Å"a person who has attained the age of maturity as specified by law†(Dictionary.com). If this is so, then why is it that in the United States 18 year olds are legally considered adults in our society, but they can’t legally buy or consume alcohol? Yet at this age they are able to vote in an election, get married, serve on a jury, live on their own, purchase cigarettes, adopt a child, and defend our country. These are not easy tasks for one to take on, yet our governmentRead MoreThe Current Legal Drinking Age997 Words   |  4 Pagesof drinking until they reach the age of 21. Hence, when they encounter methods around this predicament-and most of them do-young adults often participate in the reckless consumption of alcohol in large quantities. II. Thesis: Essentially, the most obvious way to resolve this societal flaw is to lower the minimum legal drinking age and to commence educating our youth about mature alcohol use sooner. III. Credibility: Like many others, I have directly been affected by the minimum drinking age inRead MoreThe National Minimum Drinking Age Essay1865 Words   |  8 Pagesreceive all of the responsibilities that accompany the title. At the age of eighteen year olds you receive and are expected to use the rights and responsibilities to vote, serve on juries, get married, sign contracts, join the military--which includes taking on the responsibilities of life and death--and be prosecuted as an adults in the court of law along with many other things. In 1984, the national government raised the drinking age from 18 to 21. Mothers Against Drunk Driving was a key contributingRead More Drinking Laws Essay2569 Words   |  11 Pagesthe United States. Many countries elsewhere throughout the world have lower drinking ages or no age limitation or prohibition at all on consumption of alcoholic beverages. Interestingly, these countries likewise have lower incidences of abuse, lower death rates in automobile accidents, and lower arrest rates for alcohol-related offenses than in the US. Both Canada and Mexico, as examples, have legal 18-year old drinking age laws, and have abuse indices well below those in the US. Likewise, the ItaliansRead MoreThe National Drinking Age Research Paper2214 Words   |  9 PagesThe National Drinking Age Research Paper In the United States of America, there is a minimum drinking age of 21. The legal drinking age legally specifies the youngest age in which a person is allowed to consume and purchase alcoholic beverages. From country to country, there are varying ages of legal drinking ages. There is much debate in the United States on whether the legal drinking age should be lowered to eighteen from twenty one, or should remain the same. People in favor of lowering the drinkingRead MoreThe Minimum Drinking Age Laws2540 Words   |  11 Pagesa protective policy for the youth. Scientific evidence indicates that the lower the drinking age, the earlier the youth begin to decrease alcohol (at least in the United States). MLDA laws are vital components of any effort to control the production, marketing, distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages (Philip, 528). Several studies have indicated that more accidents occurred as a result of lower drinking age. As a result there has been advocacy for restori ng MLDA to 21. Due to such advocacyRead MoreAnalyzing the Demand to Lower the Drinking Age to 181933 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿Analyzing the Push to Lower the Drinking Age to 18 Introduction According to Andrew Mark Lisa in the preface to his online petition to see the national drinking age limit lowered, it is not only young people but also colleges across America who are interested in promoting legislation that will lower the drinking age. Lisa references a Time magazine article, which quotes Dartmouth College President James Wright as stating that a lowered age limit would help prevent alcohol abuse because campuses