This video that I found discusses a lot about the idea of lowering the drinking age in the U.S. As a college student I have seen the effects of the drinking age punish many friends of mine, as well as myself. When a person arrives at college they are 18 years old (in most cases). And with the way things are these days at colleges, drinking alcohol has become the social norm. The United States’ drinking age is 21; one of only 4 countries in the world with such a high drinking age. When I found read that statistic I was immediately astonished. I have seen at first hand the effects of the drinking age punish many of my peers, including myself. Those who are 18-20 years old should be allowed to drink alcohol, in my opinion. There is always the argument that if someone can fight for their country at 18 then why aren’t they allowed to drink alcohol? I agree with that, but see this issue beyond that point. I think it is more important to look at what I have been discussing, the effects on 18-20 year olds. As far as the punishment regime goes towards underage drinking, there is only a small penalty. Usually a person that is arrested for underage drinking is placed on probation for a small period of time, and has to pay a small fine. Obviously the more a person gets caught the bigger the penalty will be, but the consequence is not detrimental. The fact that so many 18-20 year olds are getting arrested for underage drinking/possession is outrageous. Is it time to actually lower the drinking age? Or does it need maintain at the age it has been for the past 20 years? I believe that it is time to lower the age limit for alcohol to at least 18 or 19, mainly because it has become a leading issue for many college students, as well as others. Socially drinking at colleges has become highly notorious, not to mention a part of having fun, and I think that it should be acceptable to drink at the age of 18.
Here is the video link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qQzYUZ_MNU
No comments:
Post a Comment