Favors for and Against Lowering the Legal Drinking Age

Factors In Favor of and Against Khimley Young Critical Thinking and Problem Solving/ Hum 200 AOS Instructor Dr. Steven Mathews October 24, 2012 Lowering the Legal Drinking Age to 18: Yea or Nay Argument in Favor of Lowering the Legal Drinking Age The age of 18 is a transitional point in life. An 18-year=old can vote, marry, enlist in the military and buy cigarettes. To some it’s absurd that an 18-year-old can vote politicians into office and fight wars for the country but cannot legally buy and consume alcohol. Strong (It tells you everything that an 18-year-old can do) Like it or not alcohol is part of the fabric of American Culture. People drink at parties, weddings work functions and any other events. And medical†¦show more content†¦By allowing more people to legally drink alcohol, it seems logical that the number of alcohol- related deaths would only increase. Weak (It speaks about the number of death that are related to alcohol) Alcohol is a legalized drug that clouds judgment and reduces inhibition, making it a common factor in automobile accidents, violent crimes (including child abuse) and the spread of sexually transmitted disease. Strong (It speaks on how alcohol can affect you) With such serious potential consequences legal alcohol drinking should be restricted to people with some adult life experience that can use wisdom in their alcohol use. Allowing 18-year=olds (just out of high school) with no previous adult life experience to add alcohol to their new found freedom can only result in trouble. Weak (there is some mature 18-year-olds) In most states, the legal driving age is 16. By 21, the average driver has approximately five years of driving experience. Allowing 18-year-olds to drink alcohol put more potentially intoxicated drivers with less driving experience on our roads. That would surely lead to a higher number of alcohol-related accidents and deaths, which claim just as many innocent lives as drunk drivers. Strong (This will put more intoxicated young people on the roads) While medical research does show some health benefits fromShow MoreRelatedMinimum Legal Drinking Agre1173 Words   |  5 PagesThe legal age of adulthood in the United States for most purposes is 18. At the age of 18, a person enters the realm of adulthood and is assigned the rights and responsibilities associated with this legal status. For example, an 18 year old can legally sign a contract and is bound by the terms and conditions of the contract. An 18 year old can marry without parental consent, serve on a jury, and vote in state and federal elections. An 18 year old who is charged with a crime is not tried in theRead MoreChallenging The Legal Drinking Age1689 Words   |  7 PagesMackenzie Schultz Mrs. Hamilton AP English Language 25 July 2014 Challenging the Legal Drinking Age The Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) has been challenged since the passing of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 that raised the drinking age to twenty-one in all fifty states (Ogilvie). Advocates for lowering the MLDA to eighteen years of age argue that this change will eliminate the thrill of breaking the law for young adults entering college and boost the national economy. SupportersRead MoreEssay on Stakeholder Analyses for Us Drinking Age986 Words   |  4 Pagesthe United States already know, the national minimum age for purchasing alcohol is twenty-one. However, prior to the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, some states lowered the drinking age below 21 (mainly as a result of the lowered voting age). 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Research has supported the observation that young people in America consume alcohol regularly; this prevalence of use increases rapidly during adolescence, as well as a few years afterward (Wagenaar and Wolfson 37). This has come to be a problem among college students. It has been shown through extensive quantitative and qualitative research that those under twenty-one years of age are able to obtainRead MoreDrinking Culture and American Social Norms1318 Words   |  6 PagesSPEECH #3 – PERSUASIVE SPEECH Name: DANIEL C. DILIGENT Title: Lowering the Legal Drinking Age Specific Purpose: To argue in favor of lowering the minimum legal drinking age in the United States. Thesis Statement: I will discuss 1) the current legal drinking age, 2) the effect that this drinking age has upon American social norms, and 3) the potential benefits of a lower drinking age. I. INTRODUCTION A. Hook: Alcohol is ever-present in today’s American society. 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