Lowering the Minimum Drinking Age essays

Lowering the Minimum Drinking Age essays In 1984 the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which raised the legal drinking age to 21, was passed by Congress. The theory behind this was, essentially, if you raise the age of consumption, people will drink more conscientiously, because with age comes responsibility. Regrettably, the lawmakers of this time did not take into consideration the fact that being responsible does not just occur as you age, it is a trait that is observed and learned. There are numerous valid political, statistical, and practical reasons in support of lowering the legal age, and I believe many benefits could be gained from reexamining this law. From the time of the end of Prohibition in 1933, the United States government has placed the issue of MLDA (minimum legal drinking age) perceptively in the hands of the states, letting each decide for itself what the minimum age should be. It was not until late seventies and eighties, mainly because of an onslaught of excessive highly publicized studies that claimed teenage alcohol use was out of control, that the federal government started paying more attention to MLDA. This, and the national mood created an environment in position for the anti-youth, anti-alcohol legislation that became the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. The actual bill required states to follow the law done to every last word; otherwise, they would be punished by not receiving portions of their Federal-aid highway funds. Many senators opposed this action because they felt that it would require the federal government to infringe upon areas they do not have power over. No where in the Constitution does it say that the Federal government has the authority to regulate the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages, and it is clear that all control not specifically assigned to the Federal Government by the Constitution are decided by the States and the people; therefore, the government should not have supreme rule over what age is appro...