A peek back into US history shows us the presence of alcohol along with the legislation behind it. The age for drinking has been raised and lowered several times in every state. As we all know prohibition was even once attempted.
Before we start arguing for lowering the drinking age let’s take a quick look at how 21 and up came to be. Drinking age has always been classified as a states’ rights issue. However, pre-dating the prohibition few states even had a specified age limit. Shortly following the Twenty-first amendment (repealing prohibition) each state enacted a minimum drinking age. These varied between the ages of 18 and 21. The next big change was brought about by the Twenty-sixth amendment. When 18-year-olds were given the right to vote many states determined that they should also be given the right to drink. Finally in 1984 the cause of our current circumstances came about. In that year the federal government passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. Despite the name, drinking age is still considered a states’ rights issue. The act stated, however, that any state that did not raise its drinking age to 21 would lose 10% of its federal highway funds. This new act was questioned by many regarding whether or not it was constitutional. Several court cases erupted, however, within the next few years 21 and up spread nationwide.
There are many reasons why the drinking age should be lowered. In the course of this blog we plan to explore those reasons. Lowering the drinking age could bring underage drinking back to a safer environment; it would also make drinking seem less glamorous. Exploring the alcohol use in other countries where the laws are not as stringent will also help to open our eyes. Finally, we plan to examine the rights of 18-year-olds in general. We will also take a closer look at what is being said by those who oppose our side. Please feel free to give us your comments and input as we argue for lowering the drinking age to 18.
