Minimum Legal Drinking Age

We believe that adults should have the right to make their own decision about the consumption of alcohol. 18 is the age of adulthood in the United States: you are eligible to vote, you can legally purchase cigarettes, you are eligible for the military draft – which includes that you are willing to die for this country-, you can sign contract, get married and you are even able to serve on a jury.

So why can’t someone at the age of eighteen not drink alcohol? There is a study that shows there are fewer road accidents due to alcohol in countries where the minimum age for alcohol consumption is 18 years. Despite the fact that in 1984 the United States defined the minimum legal drinking age at 21 years old, its rate of traffic accidents decreased less than that of European countries during the 1980s. Moreover, allowing 18- to 20-year-olds to drink alcohol in regulated environments with supervision would decrease unsafe drinking activity.

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. We can also prove that high non-compliance with minimum legal drinking age 21 promotes general disrespect and non-compliance with other areas of US law.

In fact, MLDA 21 encourages young adults to acquire and use false identification documents to procure alcohol. 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. Finally, lowering MLDA 21 would be good for the economy. 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.