Drinking age should be lowered

    Presidents of many colleges around the country have brought up the issue of the drinking age. The drinking age has been at 21 for over 20 years, but right now underage students in college and in high school are drinking anyway.  It would be easier for colleges if the drinking age were lowered, and people would already be exposed to it by the time they got there and would drink more responsibly.

    Now the question of lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 has been seriously considered by several different states. While Kentucky, Wisconsin and South Carolina are thinking about changing the legal age for military personnel only, others, such as Missouri and South Dakota wish to change it for everyone. If military personnel are old enough to take a bullet and fight for their country then they are mature enough to drink alcohol.

    Other states like Missouri and South Dakota are considering changing the drinking age for everybody. In Minnesota, officials are working on a campaign for 18 year olds to be able to drink beer and other alcohol, but the law would still prohibit them from buying from liquor stores until they are 21. This would help the 18-20 year olds gain some responsibility before they are given more.

    MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) has long been battling against teenage drinking. MADD claims that after the drinking age was pushed up to 21 in 1984 there have been, statistically, fewer  drunken driving deaths. However, this statistic could be based on the fact that cars are safer now than they used to be.
This decision would mostly affect colleges, where half of the students are legal and half are not. Many college officials say that they find it bothersome to have to figure out who to card and who not to. It would be much easier if everyone was legal.

    While some colleges are in favor of this decision, many are against it such as: Dartmouth, Ohio State, Kenyon and Syracuse. They think that lowering the drinking age would encourage more people to drink and consequently become involved in accidents. However, prohibiting drinking under the age of 21 causes people to drink secretly.                  

    There is little maturity difference between 18 year olds and 21 year olds. If the drinking age was 18 students could be exposed to it while younger and would not be shocked when they got to college. 18 year olds are considered adults by the law. They can vote, join the armed services, buy a house or gun, or legally get married. But under the current laws they still cannot drink, even at their own wedding.
    
    Many critics who disagree with lowering the drinking age such as health experts and government leaders say that the school presidents want to change the drinking age so that they will not be held liable for the accidents and deaths that happen because of underage drinking in their colleges.     

    About 1,700 students from the 18-24 year old category die every year from alcohol related accidents according to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. This statistic could be decreased if the drinking age was lowered because most students only drink because of the thrill of knowing that it is illegal.
The NCADD also says that more people in the 18-22 age category drink if they are attending a college than those who do not. At Maryland University, students claim that when younger students get sick at parties or rushes, that the older, legal students are unwilling to help them because they are underage. Lowering the drinking age would also highly decrease the number of fake IDs that are used.

    Considering all of the current negative statistics concerning underage drinking and the reasons behind them; changing the drinking age from 21 to 18 would be much more beneficial than keeping it where it is.