Before I begin I’d just like to say that this is my own long-winded argument for the lowering of the drinking age and an explanation of why I feel this way. It is my opinion and you are more than welcome to disagree with me if you like.

A few days ago I came across an article on MSNBC discussing the age old question of whether or not the legal drinking age should be lowered to 18 or remain at 21.

[...]The proposal, which is the subject of a national petition drive by the National Youth Rights Association, has been studied in a handful of states in recent years, including Florida, Wisconsin, Vermont and Missouri, where supporters are pushing a ballot initiative.

Opponents of the idea point to a reported rise in binge drinking as teenagers increasingly turn to hard liquor as proof that minors should not be allowed to drink, but proponents look at the same data and draw the opposite conclusion. [read the rest of the article]

Now I’ve thought about this numerous times and have debated it with many people. Despite my conservative views when it comes to politics what all there are a few hot button issues where I am definately liberal-minded and this is one of them.

Something I was pleased to see that this article pointed out, something that sadly many do not realize, is that there is no federal law that states that the national legal drinking age is 21. Now I bet a few jaws just dropped to the floor right there and there are probably some underage kids out there thinking what the hell, I can go drink now. Um no. The legal drinking age is regulated per state, so in theory, it’s possible to be able to drink at the age of 16 in one state, but the state next door’s legal drinking age is at 21 while another bordering state’s legal drinking age is 18. In fact there was some variance between states since most states either set their legal drinking age at anywhere from 18 to 21.

Well over two decades ago the Federal government wished to not only set a standard drinking age across the board, but they also wished to set it higher than most states felt comfortable with. As I mentioned however, this is a State level law and cannot be mandated by the Federal government unless the state falls under martial law (but that’s another story). In order to get the States to comply with the Federal government’s ideals they used the tried and true method of messing with one’s funds. The Federal government passed a perfectly legal mandate that stated that any State that wished to continue receiving federal funds for road maintenance and other necessities that most states cannot fund entirely on their own had to get on board and follow certain guidelines….raise your legal drinking age to 21. Very sneaky aren’t they?

Now here’s some interesting tidbits, if you go back and look at the crime statistics that the Federal government keeps on record (and available on numerous State and Federal government sites) you’ll notice a marked increase in underage drinking related to crime shortly after all states had raised their legal drinking age, a trend that has steadily increased since then. The Department of Transportation and ICE also have some very interesting statistics of teens crossing back and forth over the border to Mexico and Canada in states that line the borders.

It’s been my experiance that if you really want someone to do something the best way to get them to do it is to tell them not to. History itself has taught us this. Need I mention Prohibition? Perhaps I do. From 1920 to 1933 the United States outlawed the manufacturing, distribution, and transportation of alcohol. During this period of time many, other wise law-abiding citizens, took to either making their own alcohol at home or buying it from the black market. The black market itself saw a drastic increase in activity but most startling was the advancement and formation of organized crime. Lucky Luciano, born Salvatore Lucania, and his friends Vito Genovese and Frank Costello (are these names ringing some bells?) were able to move away from the street-level gangs they were a part of and joined together to make a very lucrative and successful business in bootlegging. Their success brought them to the attention of well known and feared crime bosses. The infamous and well known Mafia families that have become a staple of American pop culture were created and established because of Prohibition and the opportunities it accorded. The two king pins of crime, Sal Marazano and Joe “the Boss” Masseria, were toppled by Lucky Luciano during the infamous Castellammarese War and he and his friends created the Mafia families of New York.

Bootlegging was such a lucrative “cash crop” that many crime bosses, gangs, and even motorcycle gangs were either able to establish themselves or get their first start. Now while the mafia is but a shadow of it’s former self there is no doubt as to how it got it’s footing and the fact remains that although they are no longer the power houses they once were they are still alive and kicking. The War on Drugs has given organized crime and gangs the source of revenue they absolutely need by creating a demand for products. It’s simple economics really, you take a product that isn’t available but is in need, you market it, and in flows the cash.

So is it really all that surprising to see teens doing whatever they can to get their hands on alcohol and abusing it when they do? That’s not even touching on the irony that at the age of 18 one can fight for and die for their country, have a say in who their State and Federal leaders will be, not to mention have a hand in a plethora of local issues. Should they commit a crime that warrants it, they can be tried as an adult and sentenced to death but they can’t have a few drinks with friends until they’re 21.

I find it highly interesting that countries who allow teens to drink at sixteen or eighteen and regulate the consumption of hard liquor to twenty one or over do not have anywhere near as many problems with underage drinking and teen binge drinking that the U.S. does. Here’s my two cents, by having the drinking age being higher and, seemingly, of more importance than the hallmarks that come with hitting eighteen the U.S. government has actually placed an emphasis and interest in drinking that would not have normally been there. By making such a fuss over drinking while under the age of 21 they have created a taboo that has actually resulted in parents just not teaching their children responsible drinking habits and behavior since they feel like a bad parent if they do allow their children to drink before the magical number.

The result; teens doing anything they can to get their hands on alcohol, and young adults partying hard and drinking it up because they are now adults without any real realization of the dangers of this behavior. You can have all the “drink responsibly” lectures and education courses you want, but you can only lead a horse to water you can’t make it drink. I recall that there was always an abundance of alcohol in the house when I was a child and I remember being allowed to have the occasional drink. Be it spiked nutmeg on New years and Christmas, the occasional sip of a beer (yuck!) when my grandfather’s friends were over and they were teasing me, or a glass of wine or champagne at celebrations. To me alcohol was never that big of a deal. I knew it was in the house and if I wanted to drink I could ask and probably be given a small amount too. I understood the dangers of excess drinking and I knew what laid in store for me if I was stupid enough to throw caution to the wind.

When I entered middle school and was given more freedom and responsibility one of the first things my mother told me, after noticing the change in attitude and behavior of myself and friends, that if I wanted to go out and drink with friends to just call her and she would come and get me. She promised not to yell or ground me if I did that, but just to give her a call rather than trying to drive myself home or getting in the car with someone who was drunk behind the wheel. I never had an occasion to give her any worry like that thankfully and I attribute that to her. My mother taught me that alcohol was not some be-all-end-all that most teens and young adults think it is. When I could legally walk up to a bar and order a drink I had the maturity and responsibility that most American young adults do not have and I thank her for that.

My point is this, if you want to curb the underage drinking, the binge drinking, the alcohol related accidents, then instead of putting rules and regulations on everything that only act as big flashing neon signs that attract more attention rather then deter you need to teach responsibility and maturity. Ask any child who has been allowed the occasional alcohol, or any teen or young adult from another country that has lower drinking ages in place, you’ll find that these people do not see what the big fuss over hitting the magical number of twenty-one is. You’ll see that they handle themselves with a maturity that is years above others their age.

As to the inevitable medical argument that the brain does not fully develop until approximately the age of twenty-four with the frontal lobe (controlling logic) being the last to fully develop and alcohol will only stunt a child’s growth, well here’s something for you to ponder. Scholastically speaking, United States schools are years behind where they should be. The standards that schools from other countries demand are years above what is expected at the same grade level in American schools and the students from these other countries meet them with ease and most, if not all, have lower drinking ages in place. Hm, being allowed to drink at a younger age doesn’t seem to have stunted their skills any. Now why is that I wonder.

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