Essay - Mlda Legal Drinking Age in the U.S. Minimum Legal Drinking...

MLDA

***** Drinking Age in the U.S.

***** Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) legislation aims to reduce alcohol use among those under 21, to prevent traffic deaths, and to avoid o*****r negative outcomes. The minimum drinking age is a controversial issue in the United States *****day, and many recent eff*****ts have aimed to reduce or qualify the ***** legal age at which drinking may occur. If these attempts are successful, the minimum drinking age would be lowered and ***** effects ***** be disastrous. Alcohol consumption poses many dangers to young people, including increases in accidents, fatalities and alcohol abuse problems. Theref*****e, this paper presents an argument in favor of keep*****g the ***** at *****.

Proponents of lowering the ***** age argue th***** young ***** under the age of 21 tend ***** drink in a more abuse m*****ner than do those of legal age, as alcohol is seen as a "forbidden fruit." One such proponent is Dr. Ruth Engs, Pr*****essor of Applied He*****lth Sciences at Indiana University ***** Bloomington. According to Engs (Alcohol and Youth Issues, 2004): "Although the legal purchase ***** ***** *****, a majority of ***** people ***** this age consume alcohol, and too many of them ***** so in an irresponsible manner. This is largely because dr*****king is ***** by ***** youth as an enticing "forbidden *****," a "badge ***** rebellion against authority," and a symbol of *****dulthood."

***** in favor of proposals to reduce the ***** drinking ***** say that ***** the drinking age would send ***** mess***** that drinking is, in itself, not evidence of maturity; **********, responsible ***** for those who choose to drink is evidence of maturity.

After Prohibition, which restricted alcohol in the United *****, most U.S. states ***** access to alcohol, designating 21 ***** the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) (Kuhn, 1998). Between 1970 and 1975, however, 29 ***** lowered ***** MLDA to 18, 19, or 20. These changes took place when the minimum age for o*****r activities, including voting, also were being lowered. Researchers analyzed the effects of the lowered MLDA, focusing mainly on the incidence ***** motor vehicle crashes, the leading cause of death am*****g teen*****rs. Several studies in the 1970s revealed that motor vehicle ***** increased significantly among teenagers when the MLDA was lowered (Cucchiaro et al, 1974).

Because it was proven ***** lower drinking age resulted in more traffic *****juries ***** fatal*****ies ***** young people, many individuals and groups pressured states to restore the ***** to *****. Soon, 16 ***** increased their MLDAs. Pressure from other states, and concern that young ***** would travel across state lines to purchase and consume alcohol, caused the federal government in 1984 to enact the Uniform ***** Age Act, which mandated reduced ***** transportation funds ***** those ***** that did not increase the MLDA to 21.

In 1982, ***** many American states had minimum drinking *****s of 18, ***** majority (over 55 percent) of fatal crashes involving young drivers involved alcohol. Since the ***** age was raised to 21, the ********** ***** fatality