The minimum drinking age in the United States is 21 years. However, there have been debates on whether the policy should be changed or remain the same. Lowering the minimum drinking age in the country should not be allowed because of the negative consequences associated with it. The paper will explain the reasons why the minimum drinking age in the US should not be lowered below 21 years.
One of the reasons why the minimum drinking age should remain at 21 years is that lowering it will lead to an increase in the level of alcohol consumption in the country. The youth form a significant portion of the total population in the country. This implies that when the age is lowered, there will be more access to alcoholic drinks, which are detrimental to the economy (Bendtsen et al., 1861). The youth form future leaders. When they begin drinking at a very young age, they will become addicted, thus preventing them from participating in economic activities. Business people will take advantage of young people, hence leading to the destruction of their lives. Additionally, most of the people below the age of 21 years are students in secondary and tertiary learning institutions. This implies that lowering the minimum drinking age in the country will negatively affect the education of young children, due to the increased availability of alcoholic drinks. People below the age of 18 years will also have a greater vulnerability to indulgence in drinking, because of the increased availability of alcohol in the market.
Lowering the minimum drinking age will also lead to an increase in alcohol-related crashes. This has been proved to be a disadvantage of reducing the bracket, in the countries which have implemented such policies. Between the age of 15 and 20 years, young people undergo a lot of external pressures. This implies that lowering the minimum drinking age will encourage them to indulge in drinking, as a way of dealing with the stress which they may encounter. At the age of between 18 and 21 years, young people have a lot of free time because they do not have families to take care of. As a result, they may drink to the extent that they cannot recognize themselves. Most of them may decide to stay in the clubs until late at night, where they later drive when they drank. This implies that lowering the minimum drinking age in the US will increase the number of fatal accidents associated with drunk driving (Hingson et al., 263).
The minimum drinking age in the US should not be lowered because it will amount to medical irresponsibility. Reduction in the age bracket ill has negative impacts on the ability of young people to regulate their emotions as well as their planning and organizational skills. Alcohol is associated with interference with the development of adolescent adult brain’s frontal lobes (Clark, Dawn, and Susan 379). As a result, the victims are more vulnerable to chronic complications like addiction, memory loss, addiction, as well as reduced ability to make decisions (Clark et al., 283). Thus, when the minimum drinking age in the country is diminished, the future of a higher number of youths will be affected. They will not be in a position to engage in productive activities in the future. Thus, reduced the minimum age at which a person is allowed to participate in drinking will have significant effects on the future economy of the country because most of the youths will have perished in drugs.
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