Spring Break
Is 18 the new 21?
Re-examining alcohol age restrictions
Andrea Robertson
Issue date: 9/11/08 Section: Opinion
Since mid-August, college presidents from prestigious universities have banded together to fight the legal drinking age.
The movement, named the Amethyst Initiative, started over a year ago in order to initiate a nationwide debate to change the legal drinking age from 21 to 18.
Founded by the former president of Middlebury College, John McCardell, The Amethyst Initiative argues that the drinking age is constantly evaded and that changing the drinking age to 18 could prevent unnecessary deaths of young adults.
A recent study conducted by the U.S. Surgeon General showed that nearly 5,000 people younger than 21 die from underage drinking. It has also been reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that more than 380 deaths occur from alcohol poisoning among college-age people.
McCardell is also the founder of the group, Choose Responsibility that proposed a legal requirement for people between 18 and 20 to take a drinking education class, similar to a drivers' education class, in order to obtain a "drinking license."
In an effort to prevent underage drinking if a teenager were to violate drinking laws before taking the class, they would not be eligible to take the class when they reached 18.
Alcohol is a legal substance in the United States and by not allowing legal adults to consume it turns alcohol into a forbidden fruit. Lowering the drinking age to 18 could take away the glamour of getting dangerously drunk.
For many college students, going downtown is a weekly routine. People who are under the age of 21 tend to consume the same amount of alcohol in a few hours as they would an entire night, in an attempt to remain inebriated because they are unable to purchase alcohol.
Issues of morals and ethics are also a concern. Students who hope to become teachers lose everything if they are caught drinking underage.
People between the ages of 18 and 20 are held accountable for their actions and are expected to be responsible citizens; however, they are not granted the same rights as those who are 21. Many deaths would be prevented if the drinking age were lowered. It is obvious that the current drinking age laws are not working. If an 18-year-old is responsible enough to risk his or her life by joining the military, they are responsible enough to decide to drink an alcoholic beverage.
This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com.
The movement, named the Amethyst Initiative, started over a year ago in order to initiate a nationwide debate to change the legal drinking age from 21 to 18.
Founded by the former president of Middlebury College, John McCardell, The Amethyst Initiative argues that the drinking age is constantly evaded and that changing the drinking age to 18 could prevent unnecessary deaths of young adults.
A recent study conducted by the U.S. Surgeon General showed that nearly 5,000 people younger than 21 die from underage drinking. It has also been reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that more than 380 deaths occur from alcohol poisoning among college-age people.
McCardell is also the founder of the group, Choose Responsibility that proposed a legal requirement for people between 18 and 20 to take a drinking education class, similar to a drivers' education class, in order to obtain a "drinking license."
In an effort to prevent underage drinking if a teenager were to violate drinking laws before taking the class, they would not be eligible to take the class when they reached 18.
Alcohol is a legal substance in the United States and by not allowing legal adults to consume it turns alcohol into a forbidden fruit. Lowering the drinking age to 18 could take away the glamour of getting dangerously drunk.
For many college students, going downtown is a weekly routine. People who are under the age of 21 tend to consume the same amount of alcohol in a few hours as they would an entire night, in an attempt to remain inebriated because they are unable to purchase alcohol.
Issues of morals and ethics are also a concern. Students who hope to become teachers lose everything if they are caught drinking underage.
People between the ages of 18 and 20 are held accountable for their actions and are expected to be responsible citizens; however, they are not granted the same rights as those who are 21. Many deaths would be prevented if the drinking age were lowered. It is obvious that the current drinking age laws are not working. If an 18-year-old is responsible enough to risk his or her life by joining the military, they are responsible enough to decide to drink an alcoholic beverage.
This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com.
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 8
Scott Autry
posted 9/11/08 @ 2:19 PM EST
Good point. I know I drank 100x more from ages 16 to 20, then I did past 21.
Sinjun
posted 9/11/08 @ 5:39 PM EST
changng the age wouldn't immediatly solve all the problems. Quite a few problems from the deaths have to do with sudden freedom. Most don't know how to handle the sudden ability to do something that they previously could not and so too often binge or go overboard with their newfound freedom. (Continued…)
Edward
posted 9/12/08 @ 12:51 AM EST
I liked the thought the author put into the article, but I am so tired of hearing some 19 or 20 year old whining that they can't legally drink (I'm not refering to the author). (Continued…)
Mae
posted 9/12/08 @ 2:42 PM EST
I think the article is well written, but I fail to see the connection between lowering the drinking age and prventing the deaths of those who drink underage. (Continued…)
Kristen Cook
posted 9/12/08 @ 4:25 PM EST
I agree with everything in this article... i have noticed being around my friends that we drank more under 21 because it was against the law and we had that rush of braking the rules. (Continued…)
A Mom
posted 9/15/08 @ 12:12 PM EST
As a mom of a college student and also old enough to have been able to drink legally at age 18 I agree that the drinking age should be lowered to 18 for too many reasons to go into on a simple comment. (Continued…)
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