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The Debate Over the Legal Drinking Age: Protecting Youth or Limiting Freedom?

The debate on the legal drinking age in the U.S. has intensified since it was raised to 21 in 1984. Advocates for lowering the age to 19 argue that the current law doesn't effectively curb underage drinking and promotes risky behaviors among teens. Issues like binge drinking, accidents, and sexual assaults highlight the consequences of youth's illicit drinking. On the other hand, supporters of keeping the age at 21 emphasize the protective benefits for young adults and the decrease in alcohol-related accidents. This discussion delves into the complexities of age, responsibility, and public health.

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The Debate Over the Legal Drinking Age: Protecting Youth or Limiting Freedom?

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Presentation Transcript

  1. Mediating the Drinking Age Debate Kevin Johnson

  2. The drinking age • Changed from 19 to 21 in 1984 • Must be 21 to drink or purchase alcohol anywhere in the United States

  3. Reasons for change • Underground drinking by underage teens • Results in binge drinking and the drinking for the thrill of breaking the law • Can vote, smoke, get married, sign contracts and join the military at age 18

  4. Reasons for change cont. • In Oregon, 17-20% of all alcohol sold is to minors • $71 million dollars spent on underage drinking programs and enforcement by U.S. government • College presidents sending letters to lawmakers asking them to reconsider lowering the age • Highest drinking age in the world

  5. Reasons to stay at 21 • Alcohol is a known depressant • Teens get drunk twice as fast as adults do • Results in 70,000 sexual assaults each year by college students • Crashes have decreased 16% since the change • Before change, underage drinkers were involved in over twice as many fatal traffic crashes as they are today

  6. Reasons to stay cont. • More vulnerable to drug abuse, unprotected sex, and depression • Higher chance of academic failure • Inhibits growth of brain • 11 American teens die every day from crashes that involve alcohol

  7. Mediation • Change the drinking age to 19 • Age demographic for drinking and driving accidents went from 18-20 to 21-24 with the age change • Educate teens on drinking • Keeps alcohol out of high schools • Takes away thrill of breaking the law for most college students (more normalized process) • Money spent on enforcing the underage drinking law goes to educating teens and monitoring drinking and driving

  8. Conclusion • The law isn’t stopping underage drinking and now is the time for change.

  9. Works Cited • Alan, Jeff. "The Drinking Age: A "Spirited" Debate." Weblog post. Oregon Catalyst. Cascade Policy Institute, July-Aug. 2008. Web. 29 Mar. 2012. <http://oregoncatalyst.com/1657-The-Drinking-Age-A-Spirited-Debate.html>. • "Drinking Age ProCon." Drinking Age ProCon.org. ProCon.org, Mar.-Apr. 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2012. <http://drinkingage.procon.org/>. • Minton, Michelle. "Lower the Drinking Age for Everyone - Michelle Minton - National Review Online." NRO. National Review Online 2012, 20 Apr. 2011. Web. 29 Mar. 2012. <http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/264916/lower-drinking-age-everyone-michelle-minton>. • Miron, Jeffrey A., and ElinaTetelbaum. "The Dangers of the Drinking Age." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, Apr.-May 2009. Web. 29 Mar. 2012. <http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/15/lowering-legal-drinking-age-opinions-contributors-regulation.html>. • "SADD Statistics." Welcome to SADD. SADD Inc., Jan. 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. <http://sadd.org/stats.htm>. • "WHY 21?" MADD -Why 21. 2011 Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Web. 29 Mar. 2012. <http://www.madd.org/underage-drinking/why21/>.

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