The Legal Drinking Age Act - 1179 Words

The Contentious Dilemma on the Restrictions of the Legal Drinking Age A highly controversial topic that continues to rise is the debate of the legal drinking age and whether it should lower from twenty-one, or remain. On July 17, 1984, Ronald Reagan was in office when the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed, prohibiting anyone under the age of twenty-one from publicly possessing and purchasing alcohol. After the Act was passed in 1984, the states that failed to abide by Ronald Reagan’s National Minimum Drinking Age Act were withheld from federal highway construction funds. By creating this punishment, states were almost forced to comply with the new legal addition. Every state adopted the new law by the year of 1988 (Underage Drinking). The act itself did take away the majority of drinking privileges, but did not take away the entirety of them. Omissions within the National Minimum Drinking Age Act included consumption for: religious purposes, educational functions, g uardian consent, and employment. Some states are stricter on alcohol consumption for minors, while some allow the exceptions within the act. With this new controversial issue put into effect across the entire United States, the population immediately took sides. Although many individuals believe once someone becomes eighteen, and is officially an adult, they should hold the right and responsibility to drink as they please, evidence reveals early alcohol consumption correlates with detrimental healthShow MoreRelatedThe Legal Drinking Age Act Of 19841758 Words   |  8 PagesAlcohol is a legal, soothing drug which changes how an individual feels. Drinking level for men and women are different. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states the difference between men and women drinking alcohol as well as injuries and deaths as a result of excessive alcohol use. Some injuries and deaths as a result of disproportionate alcohol use includes: Men consistently have higher rate s of alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations than women, men are almost twice asRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Not Reflect Today s Societal Values And That The Legislations Liquor Act 20071285 Words   |  6 Pagesthat the laws related to the legal drinking age does not reflect today’s societal values and that the legislations ‘Liquor Act 2007 No 90 (NSW) Part 7 Division 1 Sections 117 116’ should be reformed to raise the drinking age in Australia from 18 years of age to 21. Through surveying different age groups and socio-economic backgrounds of society, information has been gathered to demonstrate that the current laws do not reflect society’s opinion on the legal drinking age in Australia. Research suggestsRead MoreThe Generations Of People Who Were Born After 1984 Have1284 Words   |  6 PagesThe generations of people who were born after 1984 have only known the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) to be 21 years old. But, it was not so l ong ago when the minimum legal drinking age was 18. In 1984 Congress passed the MLDA Act as a result of the rise in drunk driving accidents involving teens and alcohol related deaths. This Act ultimately made the states raise their MLDA to 21 from 18 for fear of losing federal highway funds. There have been many debates about it and whether or not it shouldRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States Essay1500 Words   |  6 PagesThe legal drinking age in the United States was ruled to be 21 in 1984, setting the country apart from almost all other western nations. These past 30 years have contained as much problems regarding the consumption of alcohol as one of the country’s biggest failures ever, the 18th amendment, otherwise known as prohibition. Also, the legal drinking age in the United States can be considered violation of states liberties, as the national government, albeit with good intentions, has intervened and onlyRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be Abolished1634 Words   |  7 PagesLegality and Liquor: A Balancing Act Laws surrounding alcohol use and consumption in the United States all stem from one major root: the Prohibition Era of the 1920s. The Prohibition Era lasted almost thirteen years and banned the production, the distribution, and the sale of alcohol. In 1933, the Prohibition Act was repealed and states designated their own legal drinking age. In 1984 the National Minimum Drinking Age act was passed and raised the drinking age in the United States to twenty-one.Read MoreMinimum Legal Drinking Age ( Tietjen )1700 Words   |  7 PagesMinimum Legal Drinking Age On July 17 of 1984 President Ronald Reagan signed to make the National Minimum Drinking Age Act a law. This law required all states to have a minimum drinking age of 21, if a state did not comply with this law they could face up to a 10% cut in funding for their federal highways (Tietjen). Since this act became a law there has been two distinct sides arguing whether they agree with the minimum drinking age, or whether they disagree. One side believes having a minimum drinkingRead MoreShould the Legal Drinking Age Be Lowered to Eighteen?1192 Words   |  5 PagesShould the legal alcohol drinking age be lowered to eighteen? At the age of eighteen years old, you are eligible to vote, you can legally purchase cigarettes, you are eligible for the military draft, you are willing to die for this country, you are even able to serve on a jury, and you are titled as an adult at the age of eighteen. Why can’t someone at the age of eighteen not drink alcohol? Who is to say that just beca use someone is twenty-one years of age means that they are wise enough to drinkRead MoreThe Minimum Drinking Age Act1692 Words   |  7 PagesMinimum Drinking Age Act. This act stated that all states must raise their minimum drinking age to 21. Individuals under the age of 21 would now be prohibited from purchasing or being in public possession of any alcoholic beverage. Though not every state was keen on this idea, they all jumped to raise the minimum drinking age due to the government threat that they would lose up to 10% of their federal highway funding if they ignored the request. However, since the National Minimum Drinking Age Act wasRead MoreLowering Drinking Age Essay1090 Words   |  5 Pagestheir first party to having their first alcoholic drink, and are sometimes as drastic as trying their first drug. Drinking alcoholic beverages is something that involves a lot of responsibility and can bring a plethora of negative consequences. This is the main reason why the United S tates has established a legal drinking age that I consider to be relatively high. With the legal drinking age being so high, while intending to avoid harmful situations, brings many repercussions that are equally as harmfulRead MoreLowering The National Drinking Age1698 Words   |  7 PagesLowering the National Drinking Age Winston Churchill was infamous for his one liners and occasional drunken outbursts. One night at a party, he shocked a rather prominent woman with his drunken atrocities. Insulted, she turned to him and said, â€Å"Mr. Churchill, you are as drunk as a dog.† The Prime Minister returned, â€Å"Madam, I may be very drunk, but you are very ugly. But tomorrow,† he added, â€Å"I shall be sober† (Churchill, W). The use and abuse of alcohol is a centuries old vice that has circumnavigated