| Trust young adults with lower drinking age | | Print | |
| Written by The Lowell Staff | |
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Eighteen is a pivotal age in an American’s life. It marks a rite of passage. What used to be forbidden — tattoos, fireworks, guns, cigarettes, ballots — now become accessible. Individuals also gain the right to enlist in the armed forces to fight and potentially die for their country. Many states have recently argued to lower the drinking age with respects to these rights. These states argue that if a citizen is old enough to be entrusted with voting and military service, he should also be trusted with alcohol.
Legislators in Wisconsin, Kentucky and South Carolina recently proposed bills that would lower the drinking age to 18 for military personnel. South Carolina Representative and initiative sponsor Fletcher Smith argues that those who can “take a shot on the battlefield ought to be able to take a shot of beer.” The responsibility that comes with military service — being entrusted with the safety of your country and your countrymen — greatly overshadows the responsibilities of alcohol consumption. On this basis, a South Dakota initiative proposes to allow all 19- and 20-year-olds to buy low-alcohol beer, and Missouri is proposing a ballot initiative to lower the legal drinking age to 18 for everyone. States should allow young adults the full range of adult rights, and we should follow Missouri’s lead. The negatives of alcohol consumption — drunk-driving, violence, alcoholism — are undeniable. Lowering the drinking age would in no way lighten the problems that are associated with alcohol, but it would extend trust to 18-to-21-year-olds to be responsible. By offering more adults a choice to drink, they can act like adults. We are one of six countries in the world that enforce a drinking age of 21. In order to lower drunk driving on the roads, the federal government instated the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, asserting that states would not get federal funding for highways unless they changed their drinking age to 21. According to the National Highway Traffic Administration, alcohol-related traffic deaths have reduced 10 to 15 percent since the law went into effect. But other countries that have a lower or no drinking age do not have more alcohol-related car accidents. For instance, Germany, which allows 16-year-olds to access beer and 18-year-olds access to all liquor, has one sixth as many alcohol-related car accidents per person as the United States and the rate is steadily decreasing, according to the Center for Traffic Sciences at the University of Wuerzberg. The Constitution grants hefty to18-year-olds because they trust the judgment of individuals of that age. The right to consume alcohol marks a passage into adulthood as much as any other right. In a country that prides itself on freedom of choice, the federal government should lower the national drinking age to 18, entrusting young adults with the legal right to consume alcohol. |
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