Lowering the Drinking Age to 18
Erin Corrigan
English 138T
Introduction
It’s no secret in America that drinking culture for a majority of the country does not start at the
legal age of 21, although it is what some would like to close their ears and eyes, turn their heads
and believe. While it is unsettling to know that so many young people are breaking our
country’s laws with little to no hesitation, it is important to know the reasons behind why these
actions may be occurring. Once the motives behind these actions can be targeted, it can most
definitely facilitate the process of implementing policies to keep America’s youth safe. Going to
such a large school like Penn State, I have met a variety of different students, and have seen the
effects that America’s currently upheld laws on the topic of buying and consuming alcohol can
create in different types of situations, and seeing this is in fact my exigence for presenting this
topic today. Along with exploring each of the issue areas that lowering the drinking age from 21
to 18 would improve, I will also be briefly discussing a few reasons behind why underage
drinking may be so appealing to many young people in our country.
Why is underage drinking so appealing?
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), by the age of 15, half of teens have had at
least one drink of alcohol, and by age 18, more than 70% of teens have had at least one drink of
alcohol (“Drinking Age”). This probably doesn’t come as a shock to most people, but then the
real question arises, regarding as to why it is that these numbers are so high. While this
question could be answered with countless numbers of responses relating to pop culture or peer
pressure, it is apparent that a large reason as to why young people drink is as a form of
rebellion. People, especially the younger crowd, tend to be very curious about things that they
are not supposed to know about. Banning drinking up until the age of 21 increases the curiosity
of those who are under legal drinking age, and they are therefore more tempted than ever to
“taste the forbidden fruit,” as some would say. As author Gabrielle Glaser points out, “raising
the drinking age to 21 hasn't reduced drinking -- it’s merely driven it underground, to the
riskiest of settings” (Glaser). There is a lot of truth in this quote, especially given this idea that
teenagers are more eager to drink if they know that they are being told explicitly not to
So… What Are the Benefits?
Economics
First of all, it’s no secret that bars, restaurants and other licensed establishments would love to
see the drinking age lowered because of all the extra money that has the potential to be brought
in with this change in the law. Along with this, revenue would increase for private business
owners, and greater amounts of tax revenue would be collected by the government (“Drinking
Age”). On the note of consumer economy, underage drinking citations in Pennsylvania as well
as other US states can be very expensive, costing upwards of $1000. An overwhelming majority
of people receiving said citations for underage drinking are college students, who are already
experiencing having to pay crippling amounts of debt to finance their education. Along with
this, they face many other punishments, such as limits to driver’s license privileges, and the
charges shown on that person’s record for potentially their entire lifetime.¹
Respect for the Law
Underage drinking accounts for 17.5% ($22.5 billion) of consumer spending for alcohol in the
United States.² Given this information and the previously mentioned statistic that over 70% of
people will have had a drink of alcohol by the age of 18, there are an overwhelming amount of
cases of non-compliance with federal and state laws, which can often lead to general disrespect
to American laws and the American legal system. With the legal drinking age as high as 21,
those who are underage are more likely than ever to create and use false identification to obtain
alcohol. Procon.org brings up an excellent point on this subject, stating that “in this era of
national security concerns, including terrorism, illegal immigration, and other threats, it would
be better to have fewer fake IDs in circulation and more respect for the law (“Drinking Age”). S.
Georgia Nugent, former president of Kenyon College speaks to this idea when she points out
that “the ubiquity of non-compliance has led to a more generalized diffidence toward the law
¹ Along with these penalties, those charged can also face force of entry into a community service
program, and a driver’s license suspension for up to 90 days.
² Based on a study with the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.
both a sense that it may be selectively obeyed and a perception that one is powerless to change
it” (Glaser).
Some More Food For Thought…
Brown University anthropology professor Dwight B. Heath has an idea for America that has
turned some heads, by proposing that America would be better off with a legal drinking age as
low as 8, or even 6 years old. This probably seems crazy because it sure sounds like there is
someone out there advocating getting young kids drunk, but this is not the case at all. Heath
claims that “In general, the younger people start to drink, the safer they are,” which he supports
by referring to the drinking cultures of Italy or France, alcohol is often served in small amounts
at meals. He thinks that a culture like this has proven to work very well in other areas and can
do the same in the U.S., because this way, "Alcohol has no mystique. It's no big deal. By
contrast, where it's banned until age 21, there's something of the 'forbidden fruit' syndrome"
(Griggs). While this idea of giving young children the opportunity to consume alcohol may
sound very off-putting and outlandish, the theory that Heath holds in his argument is definitely
one that is at least worth thinking about.
Counterarguments
Alcohol-Related Crashes
While many would like to argue that “Careful research has shown the decline in alcohol-related
crashes was not due to DUI enforcement and tougher penalties, but is a direct result of the legal
drinking age” and that “Achieving long-term reductions in youth drinking problems requires
an environmental change so that alcohol is less accessible to teens” (Hanson), there is actually
little to no evidence that this information is true. What is true, however, is that changing to
minimum drinking age from 21 to 18 shows no signs of any kind of increase in the frequency of
these crashes. If anything, there may just be a slight shift in the ages of people getting into these
crashes.
Brain Development
When people look at the age 21, it can sometimes be baffling to find an answer as to why
anyone decided that such a random age should be the age where people are allowed to start
legally consuming alcohol. One potential reason for this could be due to brain development,
and the idea that the human brain is not fully developed until a person reaches their early
twenties. While this statement is not completely wrong, there are still many holes in this
argument, however. First of all, this research does not specify an age in which the brain is 100%
developed since this age can differ for everyone, so it is a bit ambiguous to create a law based
around it, especially because brain development can continue through age 25. In addition to
this, department of defense regulations allow members of the active military who are under 21
to consume alcohol in controlled situations (Arnold-Burger). While this can certainly be seen as
a positive policy because the members in
our military are receiving praise for their
hard work that they have put in for this
country, it does seem a little unfair to the
rest of our society that must abstain from
drinking alcohol until age 21. This policy
also sparks some questions for those who
believe that the brain is not fully
developed until a person’s early twenties,
because they are at the same time
allowing those not of legal age to drink.
Conclusion
Policies and laws in this country have been put in place, revised, and reinstated countless times
in our nation’s history. From the prohibition era to women’s suffrage, our country has taken
great strides over the decades, and understands that sometimes change must be enacted in
order to grow and move forward. There’s no reason that this can’t be true for lowering the
drinking age as well. After all, in our current state of economy it could help out tremendously,
it can keep our young people safer, and can truly bring our country into the 21 st century. We
now have the statistics, arguments, and counterarguments, and now it is time to take action.
Works Cited Page
Arnold-Burger, Karen. "The Top Five Reasons We Should Keep the Drinking Age at 21."
Regional Prevention Center. N.p., 25 Aug. 2008. Web. 9 Apr. 2015.
<https://4prevention.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/the-top-five-reasons-we-should-keep-thedrinking-age-at-21/>.
"Drinking Age." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., 2 Apr. 2015. Web. 9 Apr. 2015.
<http://drinkingage.procon.org/>.
Glaser, Gabrielle, and Georgia Nugent. "You Must Be 21 to Drink?" The New York
Times. The New York Times, 09 Feb. 2015. Web. 9 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/02/10/you-must-be-21-to-drink>.
Griggs, Brandon. "Should the U.S. Lower Its Drinking Age?" CNN. Cable News
Network, 4 Jan. 2015. Web. 9 Apr. 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/16/us/legal-drinkingage/>.
Hanson, David J., Dr. "Responses to Arguments against the Minimum Legal Drinking
Age." Responses to Arguments against the Minimum Legal Drinking Age. N.p., n.d. Web. 9
Apr. 2015. <http://www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol/YouthIssues/1064263072.html#.VSc4U_nF-So>.