Denis Omanovic AJRL 200Z/ Lombardo 4/14/09 1150 words Enterprise project draft

Let them Drink

University Presidents sign petition to lower drinking age to 18 During the process of aging, many children find themselves thinking exactly what age makes them an adult. In most states, turning 18 puts a person in the position to buy tobacco, vote for the next president, enlist in the army and even buy alcohol. The only problem; we are in the year 2009, not 1970. One of the most discussed topics across universities today is the current drinking age of 21. While many believe this age is for the safety of society, a number of university presidents have challenged the safety of drinking being legal at 21 rather than 18. In September of 2008, over 130 presidents across the country signed a petition calling for the drinking age to be lowered to 18. Among these schools are some of the most prestigious universities in the country, including Dartmouth University, Duke, Ohio State, Tufts, John Hopkins and local school University of Albany. The petition is known as the Amethyst Initiative, which derives from ancient Greek words meaning not-intoxicated. The Amethyst Initiative claims that 95 percent of future alcohol consumers first began drinking before they were 21. The petition claims that a number this high can only prove that alcohol prohibition laws are ineffective. The Amethyst Initiative has four main arguments to why the drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18: 1) A culture of dangerous, clandestine binge-drinking often conducted off-campushas developed.

2) Alcohol education that mandates abstinence as the only legal option has not resulted in significant constructive behavioral change among students. 3) Adults under 21 are deemed capable of voting, signing contracts, serving on juries and enlisting in the military, but are told they are not mature enough to have a beer. 4) By choosing to use fake IDs, students make ethical compromises that erode respect for the law. Looking at the first main argument, it is evident college students engage in bingedrinking, whether itd be at fraternities or bars, on a weekly basis. Binge-drinking strikes a fear in many eyes, as it is one of the leading causes of death in alcohol related car accidents. However, has the number of accidents decreased since the age turned to 21? A recent study done by The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention, might suggest that raising the age only delayed accidents rather than eliminate them. The study suggests that when the drinking age was lowered in the mid 70s, it lowered alcohol related deaths for 18-21 year olds, however the numbers for 21-24 where significantly higher. The study also showed an interesting fact comparing the rate of decline of crashes in the United States to other developed countries in the world. The study showed the United States rate of decline since the 1970s was lower than the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, The Netherlands, and Canada. All the countries listed have a lower drinking age than 21. A final fact this study suggests is that the number of lives saved between 1974 (years prior to age being changed) and 2004 have not only been due to the lower drinking age, but also due to technological advances in automobiles and the safety of the cars. A way universities try to inform students of drinking safely is through educational courses. A main goal of these courses is to educate students about the safety of engaging in

activities that could be dangerous while drinking. According to the petition, the safety of drinking can only be taught at a younger age. The petition took a look at drinking in European nations compared to drinking in the United States. The World Health Organization recently did a study comparing European nations to those of the U.S. and they found that although Europeans between the ages of 15 and 20 have more cases of drinking, they also have a lower rate of intoxication. The study showed that 15 to 16-year-old Europeans reported intoxication only one out of ten times they drank, while in the United States that number is at half. It also showed that youths are involved in alcohol related car crashes at a much lower rate in Europe than the United States. The petition argues that by giving young adults a chance to test out alcohol and see its effects earlier in life, it would help shape up the decisions 18-year-olds make about drinking when they get older. Even though these are compelling arguments, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) believes these studies dont prove much. They claim that the only reason Europe has a lower intoxication rate is because more kids are available to alcohol. MADD claims that the high number of under 21-year-old drinkers who dont get intoxicated is just because not everyone enjoys drinking to get intoxicated. MADD also claims that the reason for lowered alcohol related accidents in Europe is because of older driving ages, more expensive cars and more expensive insurance offered in European nations. To most citizens against the drinking age of 21, the most compelling argument is the amount of things you are allowed to do except drink when a person turns 18. The petition argues that if a 18-year-old is legally allowed to purchase tobacco, pornographic material, vote for the president and enlist to fight for the country, shouldnt they be allowed to drink too? Current laws permit children as young as 12 years old to obtain a hunting license. It is hard to believe that a

12-year-old is permitted to shoot a gun, however if you are 18 you are not allowed to have an alcoholic drink. The petition also claims when a person turns 18, they became legally responsible for many things. Juvenile charges turn to adult charges in court, cigarettes become legal for you even though people know they are harmful. Essentially the petition is arguing that when a person turns 18, they are adults and should be able to make decisions that will affect them, whether those decisions are negative or positive. MADD takes the approach that certain ages arent just based on adulthood, but based on the development of the brain. They claim that a person who wants to run for president must be 35, not because thats more adult than 18, but because by having more life experiences it would make them more suitable to be a president. MADD argues that the human brain keeps developing into the early 20s and that alcohol should not be allowed to have a negative affect on this. The drinking age is a debate that will last for many years to come. Even though university presidents have attempted to change the law, it almost seems impossible to effectively change it considering that the federal government would cut funding for states who would approve a lower drinking age. It looks as if 18-year-olds will have to wait eagerly to turn 21 to drink, just like they had to wait when they were 13 to drive.