Why the Drinking Age Should be Lowered

According to "What You Can Legally Do When You're 18.”, “At the age of 18, one will have most of the legal rights and responsibilities of adulthood. Legal rights of an 18 year-old include: voting, working a full time job, purchasing and using of tobacco products, legally engaging in sexual activities with another person aged 18 or older, establishing a checking and savings account, applying for loans, getting credit cards, and finally getting married without parent approval. Your responsibilities at the age of 18 include: if male, register for the Selective Service System, if violated any law, you will be charged as an adult, be selected for jury duty, and legally obligated to pay all debts you incur. In this list, you can do all of this at the age of 18, but can't have a sip of alcohol until the age of 21.

Lowering Minimum Legal Drinking Age from 21 to 18 would diminish the thrill of breaking the law to get a drink. Normalizing alcohol consumption as something done responsibly in moderation will make drinking alcohol less of a taboo for young adults entering college and the workforce.

Allowing 18 to 20-year-olds to drink alcohol in regulated environments with supervision would decrease unsafe drinking activity.Prohibiting this age group from drinking in bars, restaurants, and other licensed locations causes them to drink in unsupervised places, such as house parties where they may be more prone to binge drinking and to participate in other unsafe behavior. American teens unlike their European peers, don’t learn how to drink gradually, safely, and in moderation.
Many European countries have the MLDA of 16, where these kids can go to clubs and buy drinks, and is common for teenagers to have a glass of wine at the dinner table.

At 18, people are graduating high school and heading off to college. College Students are more likely to engage in heavy drinking than other peers, because they haven't had the exposure to alcohol. Approximately three quarters of college students aged between 18 to 20 years drank alcohol in the past year. Ninety-five percent of those who will be alcohol consumers in their lifetime have taken their first drink before the age 21.