Lowering the Minimum Drinking Age Research Paper by scribbler

Lowering the Minimum Drinking Age
A look at both sides of the argument of whether the minimum drinking age for alcohol should be lowered in the United States.
# 153001 | 1,288 words | 8 sources | MLA | 2013 | US
Published on May 01, 2013 in Psychology (Alcohol and Drugs) , Law (General)


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Description:

Almost all states in the USA have laid down their minimum drinking age to twenty one while there are exceptions on a state-by-state basis for utilization of alcohol at home, with adult custody, for medical purposes, and different other basis. This paper examines how supporters of lowering the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) from twenty-one dispute the fact that it has not prevented the teen from consuming alcohol and has infact promoted underage binge drinking on private and less controlled environments, leading to additional health and life-threatening activities by teens population. The paper further examines how adversaries of lowering the MLDA dispute that teenage population of the nation are not age appropriate or mature enough to consume alcohol responsibly, and therefore are more liable to hurt or even end up taking their own lives or the people around them by drinking prior to twenty one.

From the Paper:

"Though the MLDA is twenty-one in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, in 47 of 50 states age 18 is the "age of majority," which in general involves possessing the rights and responsibilities of adulthood. Each state has its own what is called "age of majority" which frequently corresponds with the age at which an individual can vote, enroll in the military, be a part of jury duty, get into contracts, marry, be eligible for credit and loans, make ones owe health decisions, and be put on trial as an adult. For that reason, adults 18 years old should in addition be trusted handle alcohol consumption. But on the other hand, data reveals that States that had lowered the MLDA 18, such as Massachusetts, Michigan, and Maine witnessed a raise in alcohol related road traffic accidents among the population aged 18 to 20. "

Sample of Sources Used:

  • Stephen Cucchiaro, Joseph Ferreira, Jr., and Alan Sicherman, "The Effect of the 18-Year Old Drinking Age on Auto Accidents," www.dspace.mit.edu, May 1974
  • R.L. Douglass, L.D. Filkins, and F.A. Clark, "The Effect of Lower Legal Drinking Ages on Youth Crash Involvement," www.deepblue.lib.umich.edu, June 1974
  • Barry M. Sweedler, "The Worldwide Decline in Drinking and Driving: Has It Continued?," Presentation for the 15th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety in Stockholm (Sweden), www.ntsb.gov, May 2000
  • Thomas S. Dee and William N. Evans, "Behavioral Policies and Teen Traffic Safety," American Economic Review, May 2001
  • A. Wagenaar and T. Toomey, "Effects of Minimum Drinking Age Laws: Review and Analyses of the Literature from 1960 to 2000," Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 2002

Cite this Research Paper:

APA Format

Lowering the Minimum Drinking Age (2013, May 01) Retrieved March 25, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/research-paper/lowering-the-minimum-drinking-age-153001/

MLA Format

"Lowering the Minimum Drinking Age" 01 May 2013. Web. 25 March. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/research-paper/lowering-the-minimum-drinking-age-153001/>

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