Lower Drinking Age in Indiana to 18: Studies Support - Essay Sample

Introduction

This is to remind you that the drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18 in Indiana. Studies support that young people between 18 and 20 years old have defiled the first laws to drink freely in the nation. According to professor Engs examinations, in his approach of using a student alcohol questionnaire, he discovered that 3375 of the students were of legal age and under-age. In this questionnaire, Professor Engs discovered that 81.2% were alcohol addicts more than the legal age percentage of 75.3. In the discovery made about 81.2%, only 24% were heavy drinkers. In this study, it was discovered that the heavy drinkers were slightly lower than the legal age student. For that reason, the heavy drinkers, in general, had a percentage rate of 15.93%.

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A similar debate escalated in Colorado to determine the lowest drinking age. After thorough investigation, analyzing, and considerations, the Police Chief of Boulder Colorado, Tom Koby, also belabored on the need to lower the drinking age. Tom Koby posits that there is a higher calling to focus on the underlying issues concerning alcohol abuse as compared to the people who consume it illegally. Koby further states that people have forgotten to teach youths how to use alcohol. In his thinking, Koby believes nothing is entirely wrong about alcohol. However, Professor Engs narrates that by having role modelling and educational programs, people can be taught responsible for drinking. In other words, Koby and Professor Engs advocate for educating students, especially those above 18 effects of using alcohol and the consequence after intoxication. They both urge that the proper use of alcohol can play vital societal functions.

The legal drinking age of alcohol is a controversial cultural and social issue in the current society. In the United States, all fifty states including people from Indiana, are subjected to a minimum drinking age of 21. Indeed, there is a need fueled by the citizens themselves to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18. Their reasoning are stemmed from the fact that young people shall be given the liberty to drink at social events, bars, and restaurants while resting in their homes or on vacation. Research supports that the initiative of lowering the drinking age shall yield to positive economic outcomes. In essence, reducing the drinking shall contribute to the rise of revenue to the owners of pubs, bars, and restaurants, making the government collect more taxes.

In the 1850s in the United States, the government passed laws to prohibit alcohol. Consequently, in the 1920s, the federal government outlaw the distribution and use of alcohol in the entire nation. Later on, the rules were repealed since they were perceived as unenforceable leading to corruptible law enforcement and organized crimes. From these clarifications, it is imperative to note that prohibition can never work effectively. The concept draws from this context is that prohibiting alcohol only leads to an increase in under-age drinking. There is a need to lower the legal drinking age in Indiana based on the fact that people should be given the liberty to make their own decision about alcohol consumption in a way that cannot lead to many traffic accidents.

After the end of the prohibition law of alcohol in 1933, the federal government of the United States has entrusted the states to handle every issue concerning the minimum legal drinking age. The government since then, has given every state permission to decide for themselves the minimum period that is applicable in their areas. However, all the states agreed that the minimum legal drinking age in the United States be 21, which was undisputed until 1970. During 1970 and 1975, most states realized the drinking age should be lowered.

According to most states, lowering the minimum legal drinking age was essential as it had come to their attention that teens who had to reach the age of 21 could handle alcohol responsibly. The states discovered that these teens could hardly kill or harm themselves as compared to most people above 21 years. In 1933, the repeal of alcohol prohibition allowed every state to set its own minimum age of alcohol consumption, and most of the set complies with the 21 minimum age with only two states have a different opinion. In the two states, the minimum legal drinking age for women was 18 years and 21 of men. In the Supreme Court, in the United States, Casa Craig ruled 7-2 based on the fact that difference in his age violated the protection clause of the 14th amendment. Ideally, the 14th amendment of the constitution lowered the age of voting from 21 years-old citizens to 18 years. By 1982, about 30 states had agreed to lower the minimum legal drinking age to 20, 19, and 18. For that reason, only 14 states maintained the minimum legal drinking age of 21. In most states in the United States, the consumption of alcohol for children who are under the age of 21 is legal. Only 45 states within the nation have set strict observations and exceptions that permit underage drinking of alcohol-based on particular events and circumstances.

Most of the studies conducted on the proposed legislation belabor on the point of the minimum legal drinking age being 18 years and since the 1970s, researchers have engaged the public on this matter after the US Constitution had passed the 26th Amendment. According to this amendment, it posited that the age of 18 comprises of "age majority." In that regard, about 39 states had complied with the idea of changing the minimum legal drinking age from 21 to 18 years. Following this amendment, in 1984, the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed based on the subject of lowered drinking age. According to an act passed by Congress, every state had to increase its legal drinking age to 21 to allow them to access a 10% federal highway fund. Thus, it was by 1990 that every state agrees to have 21 years as their minimum legal drinking age. During these periods, the states thought that the youth are vulnerable to increase fatalities, unsafe drinking environment, easy access to alcohol, and health risks. The states argued that at 18 years old, a person's brain was still developing. Hence, by consuming alcohol the frontal lobe of the brain is affected since the brain is under developing stages.

Over the past 30 years, since the minimum legal drinking age was passed, there have been various problems reported as one of the greatest failures of the United in the 18th Amendment of the constitution. In the United States, the legal drinking age is deemed as a violation of freedom among the states despite the federal government intervention having good intentions. Politicians have overlooked the idea of lowering age since it only affects people between 18 and 20 years. For that reason, people under the age of 18 and 20 have engaged in altering legal consumption of alcohol and binge drinking among teenagers which causes unenforceable nature.

American history supports various attempts that have been undertaken to control and alter alcohol consumption among teenagers. However, since ancient times, alcohol consumption has been inherited and no one can tell the attraction between alcohol and teenagers. In the 19th century, the temperance movements had encouraged the nation to take action concerning these matters. Therefore, the country, through its Constitution, provided the 18th Amendment which prohibited the sales, transportation, and manufacturing of alcoholic beverages.

Despite the state's being against Drunk Driving, the program alluded that the teens' brain needs to mature for them to be allowed to drink alcohol. If this factor holds water, there is need also to introduce the concept in the 70s that stated that "If young Americans could be entrusted to vote, serve on a jury and fight in Vietnam, why could not they order a beer?'' From this concept, if an 18-year-old person is allowed to serve in the jury, fight in the war, and right to vote, there ceases to be any crime for an 18-years old person to drinking alcohol. Hence, the concept of 21 years is a cultural and social controversy that cannot be accepted in the modern world. Therefore, there is need for Indiana to lower their minimum legal drinking age to 18.

References

Chalfin, A., Hansen, B., & Ryley, R. (2019). The Minimum Legal Drinking Age and Crime Victimization. https://doi.org/10.3386/w26051

Cintina, I. (2012). The Effect of Minimum Legal Drinking Age Restrictions on Teenage Pregnancy and Pregnancy Outcomes. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2013525

Wechsler, H., & Nelson, T. F. (2010). Will Increasing Alcohol Availability By Lowering the Minimum Legal Drinking Age Decrease Drinking and Related Consequences Among Youths? American Journal of Public Health, 100(6), 986-992. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2009.178004