http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/should-the-drinking-age-be-lowered-from-21 Opposing Views - Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered from 21? http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/just-because-a-law-is-not-enforced-doesnt-make-it-ok-to-break-it Lax enforcement is no excuse to repeal a law that saves the lives of hundreds of teenagers a year. Enforcement may be expensive, but value of the lives saved is priceless. GHSA Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:18:46 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/just-because-a-law-is-not-enforced-doesnt-make-it-ok-to-break-it http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/the-rest-of-world-has-its-own-share-of-alcohol-problems In fact, in most European countries, young people have higher intoxication rates than in the United States, and less than a quarter had lower or equivalent rates to the United States. Also, a greater percentage of young people in a majority of... GHSA Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:18:46 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/the-rest-of-world-has-its-own-share-of-alcohol-problems http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/parents-can-and-should-set-boundaries Prohibiting their children from drinking is a perfectly acceptable option for a responsible parent. In fact, it’s the only option. Most parents are willing to do whatever it takes to keep their children safe. Underage drinking is... GHSA Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:18:43 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/parents-can-and-should-set-boundaries http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/lowering-the-drinking-age-will-not-stop-binge-drinking Lowering the drinking age is not going to stop binge drinking, but rather, would encourage it. When the “forbidden fruit” is no longer forbidden, youth simply drink more. In states where the... GHSA Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:18:40 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/lowering-the-drinking-age-will-not-stop-binge-drinking http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/lowering-the-drinking-age-wont-make-teens-responsible-consumers Lowing the drinking age is not going to suddenly turn young people into responsible consumers who drink only supervised by adult authority figures. Youth drink with the goal to get drunk. And they do so “behind... GHSA Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:18:32 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/lowering-the-drinking-age-wont-make-teens-responsible-consumers http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/the-70s-tell-their-own-story When the drinking age was lowered in the early 1970s, the only thing that changed was that teen drinking as well as drunk driving traffic crashes rose. How many times must we relearn the harsh lesson that you can’t bring a loved one... GHSA Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:17:36 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/the-70s-tell-their-own-story http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/many-rights-have-different-ages-of-initiation You can get a hunting license at age 12, drive at 16, vote and serve in the military at 18, serve in the U.S. House of Representatives at 25, and serve as the U.S. President at 35. And these minimum ages are set for a reason. In the case of alcohol... GHSA Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:07:04 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/many-rights-have-different-ages-of-initiation http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/a-neuroscientist-s-response We asked Dr. H. S. Swartzwelder, frequently cited expert on adolescent brain development and substance abuse, MADD consultant, and Choose Responsibility board member to respond to this question. “It is true that the brain continues to... Choose Responsibility Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:06:05 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/a-neuroscientist-s-response http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/reality-based-education-works Let’s begin by defining “this.” Choose Responsibility believes that young adults should be permitted to... Choose Responsibility Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:05:50 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/reality-based-education-works http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/18-20-year-olds-are-adults-period We agree: one should not drink while in combat. But beyond that the argument does not persuade. The constitution is clear: “the right of a citizen age 18 to vote shall not be abridged on account of age.” Though this language does... Choose Responsibility Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:05:47 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/18-20-year-olds-are-adults-period http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/the-full-story-on-traffic-fatalities Note first that “effectiveness” in this case has a very narrow definition. The entire argument references alcohol-related traffic fatalities. While this is certainly one way in which a law’s effectiveness... Choose Responsibility Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:05:26 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/the-full-story-on-traffic-fatalities http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/history-speaks-for-itself We have already seen the tragic results of this experiment age in the early 70s, when 29 states lowered their drinking ages to more closely align with the newly reduced military enlistment and voting age. These drinking age decreases brought about... GHSA Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:32:08 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/history-speaks-for-itself http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-teen-brain-is-not-fully-developed A person’s brain does not stop developing until his or her early to mid-20s. Alcohol can seriously damage long- and short-term growth processes. Frontal lobe development... GHSA Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:32:02 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-teen-brain-is-not-fully-developed http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-law-saves-lives Both research and the hands-on experience of state highway safety agencies indicate that this law has saved countless lives. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) estimates nearly 25,000 teen traffic deaths have been... GHSA Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:29:50 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-law-saves-lives http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/where-is-the-evidence-that-this-will-work There is strong evidence that MLDA 21 laws have reduced underage drinking but have not eliminated it. The MLDA 21 laws ----- and there are at least 16 components of these laws that vary state-by-state ---- need to be enforced if we are to experience... PIRE Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:52:50 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/where-is-the-evidence-that-this-will-work http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-european-myth The idea that we should follow a European model that allows children to drink from an early age is founded on a myth. European countries are held up as examples of where more liberal drinking age laws and attitudes may foster more responsible... PIRE Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:50:44 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-european-myth http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/many-bars-over-serve-alcohol My opponents will argue that “Eighteen, nineteen- and twenty-year-olds are drinking anyway. If we legalize it, at least they’ll be drinking in a controlled setting.” Keep... PIRE Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:49:55 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/many-bars-over-serve-alcohol http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/alcohol-and-fighting-for-your-country-do-not-mix Proponents of a lower drinking age often argue that "If I'm old enough to go to war, I should be old enough to drink," but many rights have different ages of initiation. In most States, a person can obtain a hunting license at age 12 and drive at... PIRE Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:49:18 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/alcohol-and-fighting-for-your-country-do-not-mix http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/minimum-drinking-age-laws-have-proven-their-effectiveness Perhaps no alcohol safety measure has attracted more research and public attention or shown more consistent evidence for its effectiveness than the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) 21 law in the United States. MLDA laws were established in the... PIRE Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:48:54 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/minimum-drinking-age-laws-have-proven-their-effectiveness http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/legal-age-21-erodes-respect-for-law The consumption of alcohol by Americans under the legal drinking age is common and widespread. Yet few of the young people who choose to drink underage give more than a passing acknowledgment to the fact that each time they open a beer or mix a... Choose Responsibility Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:48:46 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/legal-age-21-erodes-respect-for-law