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Amber Baldwin

Professor Arnold

Public Argument Letter

5 May 2011

Drinking Age Minimum

Dear Writers of Science Daily,

The issue about the legal minimum drinking age has been brought up many times in

today’s society since the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed in 1984. Many argue

that the drinking age should be lowered, others argue that it should be raised, and then there are

others that are open to a graduated system of drinking similar to some states’ driving system to

obtain a license. You all have made it clear that you all believe the drinking age should be raised;

however, I am one of those people that believe that the drinking age should be lowered.

You all have stated in your article “... lowering the age requirement will cause fatal crash

rates to increase in neighboring states...”, so you all clearly have a problem with drinking and

driving (University 1). I agree with you all that drinking and driving is wrong and can cause

many tragedies. In fact, “this year, 10,839 people will die in drunk-driving crashes - one every 50

minutes” (MADD 1). I am not stating that I am for drunk-driving, just lowering the drinking age.

I understand that many people have lost their lives and loved ones to drunk-driving. However

teens are not necessarily the only cause of this unfortunate event. MADD also states that “an

average drunk driver has driven drunk 87 times before first arrest” (1). It does not establish that

this statistic includes high school students or teenagers, making this statistic somewhat

misleading. In fact, there is a statistic that talks about saving 20,000 lives (Drinking 1).
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According to the National Youth Rights Association, “it looks only at deaths for people aged 18-

20. This is like rating the safety of a car by looking only at the seat belt and ignoring the fact that

the car frequently tips over while driving” (1). Unfortunately many legal-aged people drive while

drunk. According to a study conducted by Thomas S. Dee and William N. Evans, “moving the

MLDA to 21 has simply shifted the risk of fatal accidents from teens to young adults... anyone

can suffer the adverse effects of alcohol if they do not drink responsibly” (Drinking Age 1). This

means that not all drunk-driving incidents lie solely with underage drivers. Some parents allow

their children to drink or host parties, but they take the keys away from the teenagers so that are

not able to drive and harm themselves or others. According to a presentation performed by Barry

M. Sweedler for the 15th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety,

“although the United States increased the MLDA to 21, its rate of traffic fatalities in the 1980s

decreased less than that of European countries whose legal drinking ages are lower than 21,

proving that establishing an MLDA at 21 is not necessarily an effective way to reduce traffic

fatalities (1).

You all mention some universities in this article, so I am sure that at least some of you

have experience in the college life. Students are less likely to binge drink if the alcohol is

regularly available to them, which would stop alcohol poisoning at parties in college. Many

fraternity parties and other parties involve alcohol. Usually students do not need to provide a

driver's license or, in some cases, a college ID at these parties, so they are easily accessible to

alcohol. This has lead to “a group of 135 college and university presidents through an effort

called the Amethyst Initiative” (Nelson 1). John McCardell, leader of Amethyst Initiative,

proposes lowering the drinking age because he suggests it will lead to less drinking and related
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problems among college students:

“Prohibiting teens from drinking in bars, restaurants, and public locations has the effect

of forcing them to drink in unsupervised places such as fraternity houses or house parties.

When teens get hurt from alcohol-related injuries or accidents, they are sometimes afraid

of seeking medical help for fear of legal consequences. Lowering the drinking age will

allow teens to drink alcohol in regulated environments with supervision” (Drinking Age

1).

It is not that hard for underage people to obtain alcohol. It is as easy as 1, 2, 3 actually. First, an

underage person gets the money for alcohol. Secondly they find someone who is legal-aged to

buy the alcohol. Lastly, they enjoy themselves. It is true that it is a crime for a legal-aged person

to buy alcohol and distribute it to underage people, but so is speeding, and it happens just as

often. The Amethyst Initiative is used mainly to prevent binge drinking. “Lowering the drinking

age will make alcohol less of a taboo, take away the thrill that many young people get from

breaking the law, and make alcohol consumption a more normalized activity done in

moderation” (Drinking Age 1). For most underage drinkers binge drinking is normal because of

their limited access of alcohol. Binge drinking leads to bad decision-making, which typically

leads to crime or academic failure.

There are also health articles that feature studies, such as Interventions for Alcohol Use

and Alcohol Use Disorder in Youth, that claim that alcohol at a young age can render health

issues in the future, but there are just as many articles that state that development is a lifetime

process, such as National Youth Rights Association Frequently Asked Questions. According to

Dr. David J. Hanson, “Drinking in moderation is good for one's health, including people aged 18
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to 20 year olds” (Drinking Age 1). I am sure that everyone is familiar to the fact that a little

amount of red wine every now and then is good for the heart. Also some studies have shown that

development is completed when you are around the age of twenty-one. This is false according to

National Youth Rights Association, “your body and mind improve all through out life. A 21 year

old is different from an 18 year old, just as a 41 year old is different from a 38 year old”

(Drinking 1). Of course this differs with every person. Some facts are very surprising and pretty

basic that people do not think of when they are considering the drinking age. One of which is the

fact that children as young as twelve are given the same dosage of medicine as a person fairly

older than them. On the back of most medications there are directions for “children twelve years

or older.” So children as young as twelve are considered adults when it comes to medication, and

some of the side effects for these medications can be very dangerous (1). These are just articles

and statistics that cannot be accounted for by every individual, but it is just taken as a general

statement.

The main question that has been brought up is the measurement of maturity. Well, they

are considered an adult and can do everything else besides drink. One can vote at eighteen. In

fact, there are some eighteen year olds that are more informed when it comes to politics than

regular adults. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte offers an Introduction to American

Politics to all classifications, which includes freshmen whom are typically eighteen or nineteen

years old. I take this class and I feel as if I have more knowledge in politics that my parents, and

I am able to vote just like them; however, I am not able to consume alcohol like them because I

am eighteen. There is major controversy over this law because a person can risk their life to fight

for the country that will not allow them to have a beer every now and then.
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I respect all of your perspectives about the minimum legal drinking age. You all do have

valid points; however, I hope you also consider my view of this issue. The drinking age will

always be a topic of debate. I am asking that you really consider my reasons as to why the

minimum legal drinking age should be lowered. Thank you for taking the time out of your time.

Sincerely,

Amber Baldwin
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Works Cited

"Amethyst Initiative » Statement." Amethyst Initiative » Welcome to the Amethyst Initiative. Web.

09 May 2011.

"Drinking Age FAQ." National Youth Rights Association. Web. 09 May 2011.

"MADD - Statistics." MADD -Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Web. 09 May 2011.

"Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered from 21 to a Younger Age?" Drinking Age ProCon.org.

29 Apr. 2011. Web. 09 May 2011.

Nelson, Toben F., and Traci L. Toomey. "Commentary: Drinking Age of 21 Saves Lives - CNN."

Featured Articles from CNN. 29 Sept. 2009. Web. 09 May 2011.

University of Michigan. "Love Thy Neighbor? States That Lower Drinking Age Hurt Others."

ScienceDaily, 1 Jul. 2008. Web. 9 May 2011.