Lowering the Legal Drinking Age
...h percentage of alcohol related traffic fatalities. Logically, the United States government should lower the drinking age to increase the maturity levels of its youth, and to introduce knowledge of the effects of alcohol at a younger age. Alcohol, a substance considered extremely harmful to young adults, does in fact have its benefits. In Arthur L. Klatsky’s Drink to your Health, he describes the benefits of alcoholic consumption, as it is in some ways, beneficial to the human circulatory system. Beer in fact has been found to contain ingredients in which are highly beneficial for the strengthening the human bone structure. In an article in Health & Medicine Week (author unknown), it shows how minor alcoholic consumption (of beverages such as red wine) can help to prevent heart disease. This, along with many other studies taken has already proven the fact that the consumption of alcohol can be beneficial. Why then, does our government prevent its youth from enjoying some of the benefits of alcoholic beverages? Another concept the government failed to understand was that, regardless of any laws in place, people will continue to drink. In the article/study GIMME A BREAK by Christopher Reynolds, it shows (in form of statistics) how much underage drinking occurs. This, along with many other studies, show that people will always drink, and that this current law is an unsuccessful attempt for the government to gain more power over young adults. By making the legal drinking age 21, it makes younger adults want to do it even more because its something that you are not supposed to be doing. It’s like a parent telling an active kid to say in the house all day long, it’s not going to happen sooner or later that kid will find a way outside. If the legal drinking at was lowered to at least 18 it would force young adults to mature at an earlier age. The accidents relating to drinking would also be lowered. Due to the fact that young adults wouldn’t have to hide aroun...