Grade 11 PreAssessment
"Should the drinking age be lowered from 21 to a younger age?"
All 50 US states have set their minimum legal drinking age to 21 although exceptions do exist on a stateby-state basis for consumption at home, under adult supervision, for medical necessity, and other
reasons.
Proponents of lowering the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) from 21 argue that having a minimum
drinking age of 21 has not stopped teen drinking. Instead it has pushed underage binge drinking into
private and less controlled environments, leading to more health and life-endangering behavior by
teens. Lowering the minimum drinking age would reduce the number of underage people who are hurt
from alcohol-related injuries or accidents due to fear of legal consequences if they sought medical
attention.
Opponents of lowering the minimum legal drinking age below 21 argue that teens have not yet reached
an age where they can handle alcohol responsibly, and thus are more likely to harm or even kill
themselves and others by drinking prior to the age of 21. They contend that traffic fatalities decreased
when the MLDA increased. A 2007 Gallup poll found that 77% of Americans would oppose a federal law
that lowers the drinking age in all states to age 18.
The repeal of alcohol prohibition by the 21st Amendment on Dec. 5, 1933, allowed each state to set its
own alcohol consumption laws. At that time, most states established the minimum drinking age for
alcohol at 21 years of age. Two states set an MLDA of 21 for men and 18 for women: Illinois (1933-1961)
and Oklahoma (1933-1976). The 1976 US Supreme Court case Craig v. Boren ruled 7-2 that this age
difference violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Following the July 1, 1971,
passage of the 26th Amendment, which lowered the legal voting age from 21 to 18 years of age, 30 US
states lowered their minimum drinking age to 18, 19, or 20; by 1982, only 14 states still had an MLDA of
21.
Reports in the 1970's showing that teenage car accidents increased in states where the MLDA had been
lowered from 21 prompted Congress to pass the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. Although
the Act did not require a national MLDA of 21, it effectively mandated it by stipulating that some federal
transportation funds would be withheld from states that failed to make 21 their minimum age for
purchasing and publicly possessing alcohol. Since 1984, all states that had previously lowered their
minimum drinking age from 21 have all raised their MLDA back to 21. South Dakota and Wyoming were
the last states to do so in 1988.
Lowering the minimum legal drinking age would give middle and high school students easier access to
alcohol. Newly-legal drinkers often purchase alcohol for their underage peers, creating a "trickle-down"
effect. Surveys show that the most common source of alcohol among 18- to 20-year olds is their 21- to
24-year-old peers.
Keeping the minimum legal drinking laws at 21 is working because the percentage of underage drinkers
has decreased since 1984 when most MLDA 21 laws came into effect. Studies indicate that when the
drinking age is 21, those younger than 21 drink less and continue to drink less through their early 20s,
and that youth who do not drink until they are 21 tend to drink less as adults.
Lowering the minimum legal drinking age would be good for the economy because more people would
legally be able to drink in bars, restaurants, and other licensed establishments. Revenue would increase
for private business owners, and greater amounts of tax revenue would be collected by the government.
This also means 18- to 20-year-olds are drinking alcohol safely in regulated environments with
supervision. Prohibiting this age group from drinking in bars, restaurants, and other licensed locations
causes them to drink in unsupervised places such as fraternity houses or house parties where they may
be more prone to binge drinking and other unsafe behavior.
Keeping the minimum drinking age at 21 means 18-21 year olds may be encouraged to acquire and use
false identification documents to buy alcohol. In an era of terrorism, illegal immigration, and other
national security concerns, it is better to have fewer fake IDs in circulation and more respect for the law.
While the minimum drinking age is 21 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, in 47 of 50 states age
18 is the "age of majority," which generally entails having the rights and responsibilities of adulthood.
Every state sets its own "age of majority" which often corresponds with the age at which one can vote,
join the military, serve in jury duty, sign contracts, marry, apply for credit and loans, make decisions
regarding medical treatments, and be prosecuted as an adult.
The discrepancy between the MLDA and the age of majority--and its many responsibilities and
authorities--along with continued incidents of alcohol abuse reported on college campuses have fueled
debate on whether or not setting the minimum drinking age at 21 is fair, smart, and effective.
Prompt
Two state senators and a congressman are coming to your school to ask students for input about a law
being discussed in the legislature that would lower the minimum drinking age in Washington State.
Write three or more paragraphs stating claims and arguing your position on the proposed drinking age
law. Be sure to use several facts and details from the article as evidence to clearly support your claims
and position.
Text remixed with permission from ProCon.org. (2013, January 18). Drinking Age ProCon.org. Retrieved
from http://drinkingage.procon.org/