Effects of minimum drinking age laws on alcohol use, related behaviors and traffic crash involvement. In short, we ended up with a national minimum age of 21 because of the national minimum drinking age act of 1984. Discover librarianselected research resources on legal drinking age from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic. Between 1970 and 1975, however, 29 states lowered the mlda to 18, 19, or 20, largely in response to the change in the voting age. Underage11 for the purpose of this document, underage refers to persons under the minimum legal drinking age of 21. Jul 17, 2016 at the end of prohibition in the 1930s, the legal drinking age was 21. A lot of work went undone, but in this slow paced, preindustrial age this was not always a problem. Should the legal drinking age be lowered stefan kiesbye.
Between 1970 and 1975, however, 29 states lowered the mlda to age 18, 19, or 20. Return the drinking age to 18 and then enforce the law. When president ronald just say no reagan signed the act, he issued a blanket requirement for all states to raise their drinking age, or risk losing highway funding from the government. Drinking age is determined by the states, not at the federal level. According to hyde and setaro 1999 when the legal drinking age in the united states was still 18 in the early 1970s, cases of increased fatalities have been reported especially in 48 states in the united states caused by the low drinking age as victims were aged 18 and younger. The 21st amendment gave the right of deciding the minimum legal drinking age to each state 18th and 21st amendments. Most states set their drinking age to 21 but some set it lower. Among them, 18 countries have set the minimum drinking age at 18.
Jan 30, 2018 this week, state lawmakers in south dakotas house state affairs committee will consider a bill that would lower the drinking age to 18 for active duty military, including the national guard. Most other countries have a minimum drinking age of 18 and they rarely enforce it vigorously. It was a magical time weve heard about from our parents college stories, like fairytales. Research shows that when the mlda is 21, people under age 21 drink less and continue to do so through their early twenties. Finally, it provides a history of the worlds most famous drinksand the worlds most famous drinkers. The legal drinking age in germany is 16, though kids must wait until theyre 18 to drink spirits. List of books and articles about legal drinking age. Top 10 reasons the drinking age should be lowered to 18 federal law in the usa requires that all states mandate a minimum legal drinking age of 21. One impetus for the reduction in the us minimum legal drinking age to 18 years in the 1970s was the institution of the selective service system to draft eligible. States that increased the legal drinking age to 21 saw a 16% median decline in motor vehicle crashes. Underage drinking is a serious public health concern that the centers for disease control and prevention cdc warns contributes to more than 4,000 deaths each year.
Apr 02, 2009 in the bulk of the countries there are no special exceptions. Data obtained from several issues of the insurance fact book, published annually by. This week, state lawmakers in south dakotas house state affairs committee will consider a bill that would lower the drinking age to 18 for active duty military, including the. Raising the drinking age to 21 was a radical social experiment both crossculturally and historically. Meanwhile, the 1820 year olds who want to drink do, in spite of the legal drinking age and the potential punishments that accompany it. Raising the drinking age to 21 was a choice that was dictated by the research evidence that was coming out of the experiments in the 1970s and early 80s, when a lot of states switched from having a drinking age of 21 to a lower age, sometimes as low as 18. Constitution was ratified, prohibiting the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages in the united. When women could drink at 18, and men at 21 the atlantic. Top 10 reasons the drinking age should be lowered to 18.
Draws on eyewitness accounts, governmental views, scientific analysis, newspaper accounts, and other resources to present opposing viewpoints about the debate over whether or not the drinking age in. Mlda 21 should not be lowered to mirror european drinking age limits because the rate of drinking among us teenagers is lower than most european countries. Kinky friedman im going to lower the drinking age to eighteen. The lower minimum legal drinking age was followed by increases in the sale and consumption of alcohol and in alcoholinvolved traffic fatalities, particularly among young adults aged 1820 years. The act would punish any state that allowed persons under 21 years to purchase and publicly possess alcoholic beverages by reducing its annual federal highway apportionment by 10 percent. Researchers took a look at what was going on in those states compared to. But in september 2006, the corps lowered the drinking age for marines in japan to 20 to reflect the local drinking age there. At the end of prohibition in the 1930s, the legal drinking age was 21. On july 17 th 1984, the national drinking age act was passed. The legal drinking age is outdated and should be lowered john j. This benchmark held steady until 1971, when the minimum voting age was dropped to 18 and buzz began to build for a reduction. Alcohol use by underage youth is detrimental national household survey of drug abuse 3. When it comes to the legal drinking age being 21 there are valid arguments in favor of it while others favor lowering the drinking age to 18. National youth rights association drinking age page choose responsibility promotes discussion of the minimum legal drinking age forbidden fruit reasons to lower the drinking age books.
This chapter was originally published in the book interventions for addiction. The law was later amended, lowering the penalty to 8 percent from fiscal year 2012. The 21st amendment also was the start of a minimum legal drinking age in the united states. To many peoples surprise, the number of drinking and driving fatalities in germany is significantly less than the number in the united states. Minimum legal drinking age mlda laws specify the legal age when an individual can purchase or publicly consume alcoholic beverages. Heath knows what he is about to say will sound a little crazy to most people. Should the drinking age in america continue to be 21. The author brought a lot of points to life regarding introducing alcohol at a younger age in order to familiarize young adults with it, making it a less tempting substance. Will increasing alcohol availability by lowering the. Laws actually need to be based on pragmatic results.
It was the only state where women could knock one back at. The 21st amendment gave the right of deciding the minimum legal drinking age. Lets see some of the reasons as to why some think the legal drinking age in us should be 18 and not 21. When the age was raised to 21 in the mid1980s, the goal was to reduce highway fatalities. In the bulk of the countries there are no special exceptions. Drinking age should be lowered says international expert. This law basically told states that they had to enact a minimum drinking age of 21. The drinking reality now for young people between 18 and 20 is very different. This book should be read by all parents with children around the ages 1820. The cause of the prohibition period was the ratification of the 18 th amendment in 1919 which prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages for consumption. Drink further documents the contribution of alcohol to the birth and growth of the united states, taking in the war of independence, the pennsylvania whiskey revolt, the slave trade, and the failed experiment of national prohibition. There was a time in our history, during the prohibition period, when no one, regardless of age, was legally allowed to drink. The legal age for purchasing or publicly consuming alcohol in the united states is 21 based on the national minimum drinking age act that was passed in 1984.
The history of the minimum or legal drinking age, however, is not a new phenomenon. The national minimum drinking age act of 1984 23 u. This book should be read by all parents with children around the ages 18 20. In many places, the legal drinking age was 18 up until the early 1980s.
The fact is that the vast majority of 1820 year olds who do not drink refrain from doing so because they dont want to, not because they cant or because its illegal. Illinois 19331961 and oklahoma 19331976the 1976 us supreme court case craig v. Most people want laws to be based on principles and ideas. To sum up, keeping the drinking age at 21 is more or less a form of prohibition, and any student of us history should know that prohibition was a dismal failure. Most americans oppose lowering legal drinking age to 18. By the end of the decade, all of the states had their laws on the books. The current system, which forbids alcohol to americans under 21, is widely flouted, with disastrous consequences. After prohibition, nearly all states adopted a minimum legal drinking age mlda of 21. The highs and lows of germanys drinking culture dw 18. When the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1971 with the. If young adults can legally marry at 18, and join the military at 18, there is no good reason why the drinking age should not be restored to 18 as well. After all states adopted an age 21 mlda, drinking during the previous month among persons aged 18 to 20 years declined from 59% in 1985 to 40% in 1991.
This act raised the drinking age to 21 and from that point is has been rooted in the national fabric since its passage. Chile, egypt, honduras, russia, samoa and the united states. And in many states the drinking age used to be 18 or 16, or none at all, depending on where and whe. Currently, the drinking age in all states is 21, but this is a relatively recent development. Choose responsibility, a group founded by john mccardell, proposes that upon completion of a 40 hour course to educate young people about alcohol, 18, 19, and 20 year old people should be licensed to drink. If the drinking age is lower to 18, then youre giving permission to go to school drunk. The current drinking age of 21 remains a point of contention among many americans, because of it being higher than the age of majority 18 in most states and higher than the drinking ages of most other countries.
Why the drinking age is 21 in the united states teen vogue. Depending on the state, the minimum drinking age was between the range of 18 to 21yearolds. In april 2007, the marine corps commandant signed off on a directive that allows 18yearold marines to drink alcohol in foreign ports if the host nations law allows it. Jul 29, 2019 but in september 2006, the corps lowered the drinking age for marines in japan to 20 to reflect the local drinking age there. During the late 1960s and 1970s, nearly all states lowered the drinking age to 18. This is all fine and well for the average population but the military population is not average. This story is part of a series on the 30th anniversary of the national minimum. The national minimum drinking age act is also seen as a congressional sidestep of the tenth amendment. The drinking age should not be lowered essay 1006 words 5 pages.
Since the end of prohibition, the minimum drinking age in all 50 u. Pdf history and impact of minimum legal drinking age laws on. When asked what the minimum legal drinking age should be in the u. Apr 08, 2018 in short, we ended up with a national minimum age of 21 because of the national minimum drinking age act of 1984. Lowering the drinking age to 18yearolds who cant handle peer pressure may lead to drinking.
The repeal of alcohol prohibition by the 21st amendment on dec. The legal drinking age in the united states has been 21 since the national minimum drinking age act in 1984. Passed in 1933, the 21st amendment was created to get rid of the 18th amendment. Mar 19, 2010 there was a time in our history, during the prohibition period, when no one, regardless of age, was legally allowed to drink. The alcohol laws of the united states regarding minimum age for purchase have changed over. Free research paper on lowering us drinking age to 18. Jan 01, 20 when it comes to the legal drinking age being 21 there are valid arguments in favor of it while others favor lowering the drinking age to 18. The legal drinking age should be reduced from 21 to 18 years of age. We are old enough to vote, to serve jury duty, to make a will, to get married, to buy cigarettes, to live on our own, to.
The nonprofit advocates lowering the drinking age to 18 and licensing. The history of the legal drinking age in the united states. All 50 us states have set their minimum drinking age to 21 although. Jul 03, 2018 drinking age is determined by the states, not at the federal level. Underage drinking in the united states what are the facts. Feb 10, 2015 return the drinking age to 18 and then enforce the law. So this wouldnt happen as an allatonce national change dictated from above. Two have a minimum drinking age of 16 italy and malta. An alternative method of enforcing drinking and driving laws if the drinking age were to be lowered to 18, would be to have a no tolerance law for drinking and driving. List of books and articles about legal drinking age online. Dec 06, 20 an alternative method of enforcing drinking and driving laws if the drinking age were to be lowered to 18, would be to have a no tolerance law for drinking and driving. Time to go from 21 to 18, but its not an easy call yes, we should probably come down from 21 to 18, but there are larger issues.
This was primarily because the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1971 with the passing into law of. Studies conducted at the time showed that youth traffic crashes increased as states lowered their mlda. However, prior to the enactment of the national minimum drinking age act of 1984, the legal age when alcohol could be purchased varied from state to state. Will increasing alcohol availability by lowering the minimum legal. That fiveyear difference to the us, where the drinking age is 21, appears to be significant. The minimum drinking age has been debated ever since the early 1970s when there was no national drinking age.
Apr 02, 2019 mlda 21 should not be lowered to mirror european drinking age limits because the rate of drinking among us teenagers is lower than most european countries. At that time, most states established the mlda for alcohol at 21 years of age, although two states set an mlda of 21 for men and 18 for women. This document presents justification for a legal drinking age of 21 in all states. Between 1970 and 1976 thirty states lowered their mlda from 21 to 18. The states all uniformly have set the drinking age at 21 for a variety of reasons with the majority being that the maturity of an 18 yearold is questionable and drinking and driving accidents were reduced when the drinking age was raised to 21. Instead of a morning coffee break, americans stopped work at 11. The cause of the prohibition period was the ratification of the 18 th amendment in 1919 which prohibited the manufacture, sale, and. The legal drinking age is 18 for beer and wine, and 21 for liquor. Underage drinking and the drinking age hoover institution. This change will effectively tear down the mystique of drinking among young people, and. This benchmark held steady until 1971, when the minimum voting age was dropped to 18. Unlike many other western countries the usa has always taken a hard line on alcohol consumption with prohibition being repealed only in 1933.
The federal uniform drinking age act fudaa, signed by president ronald reagan. She is the author of bulldozed encounter books, 2007, about an. Following the repeal of prohibition, nearly all state laws restricting youth access to alcohol designated 21 as the minimum age for purchasing and consuming alcohol mosher 1980. Jul 17, 2014 most states set their drinking age to 21 but some set it lower.