The Legal Drinking Age Act Of 1984 - 1758 Words

Alcohol is a legal, soothing drug which changes how an individual feels. Drinking level for men and women are different. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states the difference between men and women drinking alcohol as well as injuries and deaths as a result of excessive alcohol use. Some injuries and deaths as a result of disproportionate alcohol use includes: Men consistently have higher rates of alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations than women, men are almost twice as likely as women to have been intoxicated among drivers in fatal motor-vehicle traffic crashes, excessive alcohol consumption increases aggression, and men are more likely than women to commit suicide, and more likely to have been drinking prior to committing suicide (CDC). In the United States, the legal age limit to drink alcohol is 21 because of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. However, that age group accounts for 17.5% of consumer spending for alcohol nationwide and 90% of that is consumed through binge drinking (Tracy). The legal drinking age is one of America’s most frequently violated drug law. Furthermore, many have still not realized that having such a high minimum age is doing more harm than good (Tracy). Would would happen if the legal drinking age in America changed from 21 to 18? The members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving suggested lowering the drinking age, declaring that drunk driving fatalities increased substantially after many states lowered theirShow MoreRelatedThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States Essay1500 Words   |  6 PagesThe legal drinking age in the United States was ruled to be 21 in 1984, setting the country apart from almost all other western nations. These past 30 years have contained as much problems regarding the consumption of alcohol as one of the country’s biggest failures ever, the 18th amendment, otherwise known as prohibition. Also, the legal drinking age in the United States can be considered violation of states liberties, as the national government, albeit with good intentions, has intervened and onlyRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered1732 Words   |  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 MoreMinimum Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered733 Wor ds   |  3 PagesMinimum Legal Drinking Age Should be Lowered â€Å"Adults under 21 are deemed capable of voting, signing contracts, serving on juries and enlisting in the military, but are told they are not mature enough to have a beer.† (Amethyst Initiative: Rethink the Drinking Age). The causes behind the minimum legal drinking age standardization nationally has not been alleviated in the past couple decades and should be repealed. The minimum legal drinking age should be lowered to the age of eighteen whichRead MoreFor Years, The Debate About Deciding A Minimum Legal Drinking1638 Words   |  7 Pagesyears, the debate about deciding a minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) has plagued the United States. The arguments can include that intoxicated driving accidents will increase if the MLDA was lowered or that the current MLDA is not decreasing drinking among young adults at all. The torn arguments between ages eighteen and twenty-one have not proven one age to be the right answer to the problem of deciding a drinking age, but if the ML DA was lowered to age eighteen, it would be the most beneficial choiceRead MoreThe Generations Of People Who Were Born After 1984 Have1284 Words   |  6 PagesThe generations of people who were born after 1984 have only known the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) to be 21 years old. But, it was not so long ago when the minimum legal drinking age was 18. In 1984 Congress passed the MLDA Act as a result of the rise in drunk driving accidents involving teens and alcohol related deaths. This Act ultimately made the states raise their MLDA to 21 from 18 for fear of losing federal highway funds. There have been many debates about it and whether or not it shouldRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States1479 Words   |  6 Pages The legal drinking age in the United States has been argued for many decades. The current minimal legal drinking age is twenty-one but some want to lower between eighteen and twenty. The main focus of the research conducted and opinions of people are based on the minimal legal drinking age of eighteen. The research is taken from the 1970s, when the twenty-sixth Amendment was passed in the Constitution (Wagenaar, 206). It was stated that eighteen is the â€Å"age of majority†, so thirty-nine of theRead MoreKeeping The Minimum Drinking Age864 Words   |  4 PagesKeeping the Minimum Drinking Age In 1984, the United States’ federal government passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. Under this act, the federal government gives highway funds to States that forbid people under the age of twenty-one years old from â€Å"purchasing or publicly possessing alcoholic beverages†(23 U.S.C.  § 158). The incentive created a sense of a standardized minimum drinking age when legally there cannot be a federal minimum drinking age. Even though this Act has been in effectRead MoreLowering The National Drinking Age1698 Words   |  7 PagesLowering the National Drinking Age Winston Churchill was infamous for his one liners and occasional drunken outbursts. One night at a party, he shocked a rather prominent woman with his drunken atrocities. Insulted, she turned to him and said, â€Å"Mr. Churchill, you are as drunk as a dog.† The Prime Minister returned, â€Å"Madam, I may be very drunk, but you are very ugly. But tomorrow,† he added, â€Å"I shall be sober† (Churchill, W). The use and abuse of alcohol is a centuries old vice that has circumnavigatedRead MoreKeeping The Minimum Drinking Age880 Words   |  4 Pagesthe Minimum Drinking Age In 1984, the United States’ federal government passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. Under this Act, the federal government gives highway funds to States that forbid people under the age of twenty-one years old from â€Å"purchasing or publicly possessing alcoholic beverages†(23 U.S.C.  § 158). The incentive created a sense of a standardized minimum drinking age despite the fact that legally there cannot be a federal minimum drinking age. Even though this Act has been inRead 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 in