Should The Drinking Age Be Lowered?
For many people, the heart of legal drinking age debate lies with the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Proponents of raising the legal drinking age argue that if the federal government has no qualms about recruiting 18 year olds to go into battle and die for their country, why can’t those same 18 year old have a beer after work? I know I have heard this argument at my own restaurant every now and again.
Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wisconsin all have proposals in the works that would lower the drinking age. Bills in Kentucky, Wisconsin and South Carolina are aimed at Military personnel only, while in South Dakota, only 19 and 20 years old would be allowed to purchase alcohol- and only low-alcohol beer at that.
Another deterrent for states to keep drinking ages at 21 is Congress, who passed the 1984 law to raise the drinking age. In the law, states who take it upon themselves to lower the drinking age can lose up to 10% of their highway funding. For many states, the risk isn’t worth it.
Advocates of raising the drinking age have a point. 18 is considered old enough to vote, drive a car, buy cigarettes (which many people consider far more dangerous than alcohol) and fight in the armed forces. So what is the rationale behind keeping the drinking age at 21?
Leave a comment or share your thoughts at the Restauranting Forum. Do you think raising the age is a good idea or a step in the wrong direction? How do you think it will impact the restaurant business?
I think that the drinking should be lowered to the age of 18 as long as the person that is under the age of 21 is with someone of the age of 21 or older soo that if the 18 year old tries to do something that they are not supposed to do they could be corrected.
This is one of the worst written articles I have ever read. You keep saying raise instead of lower. Proponents of raising the drinking age would be for making it like 24years instead of 21.
Ummm, where did you 24 out of? You seemed to have missed the crux of the article.
well i think that drinking should be 18 bc
You did say “raise” instead of “lower”… was kind of your main point.
it does say raise but that is not the point the drinking age should be lowered to 18 because people who go to war that are between the ages of 18 to 20 feel left out of what the older people get to do and they don’t
how can they feel left out? they didnt join the military to meet older friends and just and rink with them if they wanted to do that they could have stayed at home. they’re there to serve the country not goand have fun partying
in my opinion it should be lowered for the military i say if your old enough to toss a grenade your old enogh to down a tequilla
i think that the drinking age should be lowered. if we say 18 is an adult..they are accountable for their own actions. they should have the right to drink as they are to smoking.