The U.S. drinking age needs to be lowered now.
United States federal government, I have a bone to pick with you. Recently, I have had a run in with the law when my college friends and I decided to enjoy the beautiful summer weather at the lake. As rising college sophomores, you can imagine our idea of fun now includes the consumption of alcohol.
Like most college students, the presence of alcohol within social gatherings is very normalized and apparent, so you can imagine our shock when a police officer in a speedboat pulled up to the shoreline saw us with beers in our hand and asked for our identification. I will admit drinking underage in public may not have been our brightest of ideas, however after being in a college town for a year I suppose I forgot that drinking near bodies of water with hundreds of people doing the exact same thing, would be frowned upon.
Now I think it is important to keep in mind there were 4 of us, we were sitting calmly in lawn chairs listening to music drinking a small case of miller light. We were in no capacity drunk, disruptive, or even impolite to the people around us. You could equate the amount we consumed to 2 small cans a piece, with no intentions of getting drunk or “turnt”.
As you can imagine, this interaction resulted in 4, 19-year-old college kids, home for summer break, getting tickets for MIP’s (Minor in possession). We were breathalyzed, and I blew a .026 which is nearly a quarter of the driving-drinking limit of .08 in the state of Texas.
Now I’m aware it’s easy for anyone over the age of 21 to hear this story laugh and say “well you shouldn’t have been drinking as a minor”. However, put yourselves in my shoes. I am not a criminal, I have no prior offenses, I have and will always be very respectful to law enforcement and the general public around me. Most importantly, I was not driving, and I was not putting anyone's life in any kind of danger or unconformability. I asked the officer, “If we were 21 would this even be an issue”, and the officer responded, “If you were 21, you would totally be fine”.
Why does it feel like the only crime I committed was being under the age of 21?
I am 19 years old, I am an adult that can vote, live on my own, fight for our country, purchase a firearm, operate vehicles, and 8% of my money that I earn goes to taxes that fund the police, however I don’t have the same rights that someone merely 2 years older has. If this was any demographic other than age, this would be a direct violation of the constitution and personal rights. Recognizing this reality, I became furious, so I did some research.
Turns out the 21-year-old drinking laws go back to 1984 when Candy Lightner and her organization MADD (Mothers against Drunk Driving) convinced congress to pass the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. This act raised the drinking age from 18 to 21. From the years 1975 to 1984 the drinking age was actually 18 (depending on the state) thanks to Vietnam War protesters arguing that if 18-year-olds can go and die for their country they should absolutely be able to drink a beer.
Well after Mrs Lightner’s 13-year-old daughter Cari Lightner was hit from behind and killed by a drunk driver, she had a difference in opinion from those Vietnam protesters. She made it her life’s mission to punish and decrease drunk driving, and she accomplished that goal in 1984. Not only did this raise the drinking age, but it made drunk driving punishments a lot stricter on American citizens.
According to the CDC,
“States that increased the legal drinking age to 21 saw a 16% median decline in motor vehicle crashes.”
“After all states adopted an age 21 MLDA (Minimum Legal Drinking Age), drinking during the previous month among persons aged 18 to 20 years declined from 59% in 1985 to 40% in 1991.”
Excessive drinking contributes to more than 3,900 deaths among people below the age of 21 in the U.S. each year.
Okay so maybe Candy Lightner had a point.
I suppose If I had a child that was taken from me because of a random irresponsible drunk driver, I would want them to be held responsible. The statistics do reveal that underage drinking does lead to irresponsible drinking. Unfortunately, this can cost lives.
On the flip side, however, as a responsible underage drinker, I still hold the belief that it’s unfair to restrict an entire age group from participating in a form of entertainment that the entire country participates in. How do you expect an 18-year-old to go to college, see 21-year-olds drinking, and expect them not to participate. Even going to football tailgates, there will be cases of beer everywhere, no restrictions, and no discretion.
It’s an absurd and unrealistic request
I understand why the laws are the way they are, and I’m really not advocating for change. The health and safety of people should always come first.
My one and only grievance is maybe if you put yourself in our shoes and just thought about how prominent alcohol is a part of your lives. Then imagine if the government told you, no more, alcohol is outlawed. Just think about how absurd of a law that would be, how angry it would make Americans, how that would affect your life.
I’m sure we all have heard of the Prohibition Era. Did it work?
So maybe if you're a police officer, judge, or even just a citizen, give kids some sympathy. We're just attempting to enjoy our lives like everyone else. Cut us some slack, and remember what you’re asking of us. It’s a near impossible request.
P.S. Now, if you really want to have a discussion, let’s talk about marijuana.
