Legal Drinking Age Essay

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Legal drinking age is a controversial topic all over the world. In many countries the legal age to drink alcohol is 18 or lower. The United States is one of the only countries that says a person must be 21 before they are allowed to drink. Why is the U.S. Drinking age so much higher than other countries? Some people believe that the age should be lowered to 18, arguing that at the age of 18, a United States citizen is a legal adult and allowed to make their own decisions. If a mature teenager wants to have a drink every now and again would that really be a huge problem? An irresponsible youth however, would be a danger to themselves and other while intoxicated. Many say that the drinking age should remain at 21 because of the health risks caused by drinking. Alcohol abuse can cause many different diseases and health risks. The main question is why some people believe that the age should be lowered, while other believe that it would be a danger to those drinking and the people around them. There are many good arguments for why the drinking age should be lowered. In the United States at 18 a person is a legal adult. They may move out of their homes and star their own lives. At 18 you can also vote, serve on juries, and get married. They can sign up to join the military and fight to defend our country, so why can't they drink alcohol? If you can make the decision to put your life on the line overseas, then you should be mature enough to know your drinking limits. Many people believe that lowering the minimum legal drinking age to 18 would raise the crime rate, but that is not true. Many studies were done to test whether or not a lower drinking age would increase crime and suicide rates. Over 72% of the studies showed that there... ... middle of paper ... ...decided whether or not they should be drinking. There are many different health risks associated with any people drinking. Younger people aren't the only people whose health is affected by drinking. Anyone could drink themselves into a coma or even get cancer from too much alcohol. The only health risks from alcohol that specifically affect younger people is how alcohol can injure the brain. A younger persons brain is not completely formed, unlike people who are over the age of 21. All over the world the minimum legal drinking age is a controversial topic. There are many different pros and cons that will come to light if the United States lowers the minimum legal drinking age. Should the United States lower its minimum legal drinking age to 18 like so many other countries have? Or should they remain where they stand? It's up to you which side you chose to support.

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