Lynde 1

Wesley Lynde

Professor Douglas

UWRT 1102-026

March 30, 2017

Who is Sitting at the Drinking Table?

Alcoholic beverages have been an indulgence for people to enjoy for hundreds of years.

Celebrations, social gatherings, or simply for the taste, drinking can a way to bring people

together, but it also has a very nasty side. Alcohol poisoning and drunk driving are just two of

the extensive amount of ways drinking can be abused and history has shown us that these bad

habits are most common in younger people. These reasons, along with other factors such as

binge drinking of high school and college age kids, led to the Reagan Administration passing a

law that forced every state in the union to set their minimum legal drinking age at twenty-one.

While this change in the law has yielded some very positive results, like lowering drinking

among teens and a drop in drunk driving, it has also caused controversy. People who are a part of

the Amethyst Initiative, some of whom are in the academic community, believe that once a

person turns eighteen they have every right to be able to buy a drink. But if that is so, why did

the law get changed in the first place? In the discussion to decide if the legal drinking age should

be lowered, there are three main voices at the table that are made up of many individual people;

the medical community, the academic community, and the legal community.

The first and perhaps most prominent voice of the argument table is that of the medical

community. Any person who chooses to drink alcohol assume the health risks that come with it,

and research done by medical professionals has shown that teens have heightened effects. One

study done by the Journal of Safety Research shows that the lowering of the drinking age would
 Lynde 2

result in more highway deaths among young people (McCratt). Medical researchers, as well as

other leading medical professionals that make up this voice, have a strong belief that the legal

drinking age should not be lowered at all. In fact, many suggest that the age be raised higher than

it already is on the scientific basis that a person does not reach full maturity until they are

twenty-five. Every age group reacts differently to alcohol, but they insist teenagers and young

adults are much more prone to medical issues from drinking. Because important body parts such

as the brain and liver are not fully developed, excessive underage drinking can cause permanent

damage to them (McCratt). The medical community also points out that teenagers that chose to

drive under the influence of alcohol are over thirty times more likely to have a fatal traffic

accident (Keall). The opinion that the medical community brings to the argument has weight

because it is backed up by facts and touches the minds of many.

In addition to the medical voice, the academic community is another opinion that is

important to the argument at hand. Of the individuals that compile this group, college presidents,

academic researchers, and the college students themselves are the most prominent. While

feelings tend to be mixed, the overall opinion of this group is the drinking age should be lowered

to allow eighteen year olds to buy and drink alcohol. A collection of college presidents is among

the leaders in the movement to get the law changed, a fact that surprises many people. They

argue that if their students are intelligent enough to earn entry to a school and make adequate

grades to stay enrolled, they should be allowed to drink. In order to sell this idea, these presidents

are pushing alcohol safety courses that students must complete in order to be allowed to drink on

campus (Walters). These proposed safety courses, which have the support of many officials,

would educate students on safe drinking and the consequences that come with binging on

alcohol. Another argument that this voice brings to the table comes from the students themselves.
 Lynde 3

The law in the United States says that when you turn eighteen years old you are legally mature

able to vote and enlist in the military, but you cannot buy or drink alcohol for another three

years. As you can guess, students find it completely unfair that they can have the responsibility

go to war and risk their lives or be able to choose the next president, but are not considered

mature enough to drink.

The third and final voice at the table is heard from the legal community. These people

consist of legislators who have the power to uphold or change the drinking age law, and those

who enforce the laws, such as the police and universities. The thoughts of this group is very

important for the simple reason that at the end of the day they have the ultimate ability to make

the change from twenty-one to eighteen. Members of this community have varied beliefs

regarding this subject, and for that reason there is no clear side taken. Most law makers have

been in favor of not changing the drinking age, citing research that says if the age was lowered,

there would be not real decrease in binge drinking and drunk driving among the age group that

would be affected (George). On the other hand, some universities, as mentioned in the previous

paragraph, are in favor of allowing their students above 18 to drink on campus. One of the things

that these schools would implement is a strict conduct policy regarding the use of alcohol. A

certain number of documented incidents involving alcohol use would result in loss of drinking

privileges and even suspension or expulsion (Walters). As you can see, there are many differing

opinions being brought by this voice to the table and because if this they make the conversation

very interesting.

This simple fact is people under the age of twenty-one are going to drink. Although it is

against the law, many feel like that are mature enough to be able to consume alcohol at a

younger age. This mindset is met by some stark opposition, however, from the medical and legal
 Lynde 4

communities on the basis that underage drinking can lead to unintended accidents and lasting

damage to the body. But the position of these young people has more support than many people

realize, coming from the academic community and even some law makers. 1984 was the last

year that an eighteen-year-old was able to legally buy a drink, and ever since that day this debate

has waged on. With everything that goes into the argument, a decision might be made sooner

than you think.

 Lynde 5

Works Cited

George, William H, Leif C. Crowe, David Abwender, and Jeremy B. Skinner. "Effects of

Raising the Drinking Age to 21 Years in New York State on Self-Reported Consumption

by College Students." Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 19.8 (1989): 623-635.

Print.

Keall, Michael D., William J. Frith, and Tui L. Patterson. The Influence of Alcohol, Age, and

Number of Passengers on the Night-time Risk of Driver Fatal Injury in New Zealand.

ScienceDirect. Accident Analysis & Prevention, Jan. 2004. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.

McCartt, A. T., Hellinga, L. A., & Kirley, B. B. (April 01, 2010). The effects of minimum legal

drinking age 21 laws on alcohol-related driving in the United States. Journal of Safety

Research, 41, 2, 173-181.

Walters, ST. "If the Drinking Age Were Lowered, What Then? a View from the Year 2020."

Journal of American College Health : J of Ach. 58.6 (2010). Print.