This newspaper article headline got me thinking and just curious as to what other people think about the USA's legal drinking age and laws alongside my own opinions. It was phased in over a few years and today all fifty states require one to be twenty-one or older to purchase alcohol. Do you agree with the drinking age of 21 or not? Callaghan, Russell. There are also laws that prevent you from having certain jobs that involve the serving or selling of alcohol or that punish people for having young people drink on their property. The legal age for purchasing or publicly consuming alcohol in the United States is 21 based on the National Minimum Drinking Age Act that was passed in 1984. In the United States, the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) is considered to be 21 which includes the purchase and consumption of any alcoholic beverages. Ninety-six (96) countries/possessions in the world have a minimum drinking age of zero. The history of the minimum or legal drinking age, however, is not a new phenomenon. Just browsing online and found newspaper report from the USA stating a '19-year-old MAN arrested for underage drinking.' This has led to different countries having a minimum legal drinking age (MLDA). There are exceptions in certain states for a variety of reasons. Most states chose to establish the legal minimum drinking age to 21 (perhaps to commemorate the 21st Amendment), but some instated lower minimum ages ranging from 18 to 20. Many European countries have the minimum set at 18. Sexual relationships with a person aged less than 16 years amount to statutory rape, and it is punishable by the law. Minimum Legal Drinking Age laws save approximately 800-900 lives each year. Teach Safe Drinking to Your College-Bound Teen. Drinking at 18 (I'm sure people younger than that do it as well) is a big problem here and I'm sure everywhere that the legal age is 18 has a problem too. Lowering the drinking age would eliminate thrill drinking. Why is the USA's legal drinking age 21-years-old? After drinking was made legal again with the repeal of prohibition in 1933, the legal federal age to drink was 18. Medical research even shows that excessive drinking by people 20 and younger may cause brain damage. Children, Alcohol and Parenting. §158) which essentially said to the states: This law applies across all states. Although the minimum drinking age for New York State was 19 until December 1, 1985, the legal drinking age for New York City (NYC) and all of New York State is 21, just like everywhere else in the United States. However, many states during that time did raise their drinking age to 21 as they had more power in the say of their own laws. The average (mean) minimum legal drinking age around the globe is 10.3. 3. Following the end of prohibition in the United Sates during the Great Depression, all states agreed on a set of twenty-one to be the legal drinking age. I wish it was increased to 21 here in Oz. But if each state sets its own minimum legal drinking age, why does every state set it at 21 years of age? However, MLDA differs for example, the United States has it at 21 years, Denmark with no rule only for purchase of alcohol at 16 years. The legal age of consent in the United States at the federal level is 16 years. It is a criminal offence across all States to possess or buy alcohol using false statements such as fake IDs. And of those that have higher legal drinking ages, the average age is 18.6. Eight Exceptions to the Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) of 21 II. in the usa: teen drinking is very bad, but you probably do it anyway In the land of the free, the stakes are a lot higher. In most states they permit those under 21 to drink. Between 1970 and 1975, however, 29 states lowered the MLDA to 18, 19, or 20, largely in response to the change in the voting age. I believe the age of majority in the States is 18-years-old and at or before this age a person … Some countries differentiate between the legal age for drinking and of legal age to purchase alcohol. So, then why discuss the drinking age by state? This act raised the drinking age to 21 and from that point is has been rooted in the national fabric since its passage. The places and situations differ. Source . others have the MLDA at 18 years to as high as 25 years. You can be stopped, fined or arrested by police if you’re under 18 and drinking alcohol in public. The 1960s and 1970s In 1971, when the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18, 30 states saw it fit to lower the drinking age concurrently. The short answer to this question is because Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 (Title 23 U.S.C. On July 17 th 1984, the National Drinking Age Act was passed. Drinking with Parents is ‘Protective’ of Alcohol Abuse. Even with all those new legal rights majority of teenagers fresh out of high school aren’t mentally ready to make sound decisions, especially if the legal age to buy alcohol is lowered. In 2012, Canada changed exemption limits to more closely match those of the U.S. The drinking age also has the effect of allowing establishments to discriminate and refuse you entry to an establishment because of your age, even if you do not drink. Surprisingly, this is one of the highest drinking ages in the world. In the United States, it is 21 as per the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. See Also . Surely if your considered mature enough in USA society to go to war to DIE for your country, vote, smoke etc. 1 In the United States all 50 states have the minimum drinking age set at 21, the highest in the world. By the 1960s, the majority of states were at 18 years old for a legal drinking age, as many had changed their laws. Hey there! After Prohibition, the total ban on alcohol, many states established a minimum legal drinking age of 21. Most involve being on private property and having the permission of your parents, but in some states, there are no exceptions. I have to say, as a European, that it seems a bit absurd not to trust a 20 year old to drink alcohol when he can smoke, drive, vote, own a gun, join the army and basically is awarded all the privileges that come with being an adult, yet is not allowed to drink. The age of majority is the threshold of adulthood as recognized or declared in law. According to the MLDA act of 1984, 21 is the minimum legal drinking age in the USA. Lowering the legal drinking age in the USA, which implies that it will be allowed to sell alcoholic drinks to the people under 21 years old, has provoked extensive debates. Over the past twenty years the minimum legal drinking age has been twenty-one in all US states, but that has not stopped citizens of the United Sates from attempting to lower the age. Underage drinking is a serious public health concern that contributes to more than 4,300 deaths each year. But that began to change after the voting age was lowered to … Topics: Adolescence, Alcohol, Binge Drinking, Justice, Legal Drinking Age, Lowering The Drinking Age, Social Issues, Truth. In many countries around the world, the legal drinking age is already 18. and, more importantly, be called an 18-year-old MAN, you should be trusted to legally drink alcohol. In 1984, the Federal Government passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act and established twenty-one as the national minimum legal drinking age (“MLDA”) age. The legal drinking age is the minimum age at which an individual is allowed to purchase alcohol in a particular jurisdiction. The minimum age for purchasing alcohol has changed many times over [...] Pages: 3 Words: 1042. No, the Brown University anthropology professor is not advocating getting kids drunk. Legal drinking age in USA? In these countries, parents can invite his 16-year-old child to alcohol, but the child may not purchase its own until the age of 18. Studies conducted at the time showed that youth traffic crashes increased as states lowered their MLDA. Research on the effects of such policy changes were a central component in the political debates on minimum‐age laws. State and Local Alcohol Laws. Under-Age Drinking Laws: Legal in Most States in US Under-age drinking laws often surprise people. All are younger than the legal drinking age in the United States, which is 21. In these countries, they have seen a greater reduction of drunken driving accidents than the United States, where the legal age is 21. Many nations set their minimum drinking age at 18, and many of them report lower rates of alcohol use disorder than the United States does. The History of the Legal Drinking Age in the United States. Lowering the legal drinking age of twenty-one to eighteen will only increase the problems already faced with in America. People may argue that at 21-years-old, people are more mature when it comes to alcohol? Explanation of the Eight Exceptions to the MLDA : I. State-by-State Guide to Underage Alcohol Consumption Laws and Exceptions III. 1 More than 11% of all the alcohol consumed within the United States is done by those between the ages of 12 and 20. The current legal drinking age in the United States is 21. In the 1970s, 29 states lowered the legal age, and in the late 1970s and early 1980s, all states with an age below 21 raised the legal age to 21 for all types of alcoholic beverages. When asked what the minimum legal drinking age should be in the U.S., Heath says 8, or maybe even 6. 21 is very sensible imo. It is worthy of noting that this idea has both a lot of opponents and supporters. Alcohol consumption varies significantly between countries, as does the legal drinking age. And often within countries. One topic that has a lot of notoriety all throughout the United States is the legal drinking age. I think 21 is a sensible age for legally drinking alcohol. Some argue that it should remain at twenty-one years old while others push for reducing it to eighteen and this has even caused some controversy. If they lowered the minimum drinking age in the United States, there will be greater amounts of alcohol for kids that are under the age of 18. Apart from the federal law on statutory rape, each of the states in the US has its local laws regarding consensual sex. If you live in the United States, you probably already know that you must be at least 21 years of age or older to purchase or consume alcoholic beverages with very few exceptions in some jurisdictions. The pushback on the legal drinking age in the United States came in 1984 largely due to groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and their leaders like Candy Lightner, who argued that raising the minimum age could result in far fewer cases of drunk driving and drunk driving related deaths. Over the past several years, many studies have been conducted to study whether the drinking age should be lowered or raised. It is the moment when minors cease to be considered such and assume legal control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thus terminating the control and legal responsibilities of their parents or guardian over them. After Prohibition, nearly all states adopted a minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) of 21. 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